Ethereal
by NotJasonTodd
Summary: A being from another dimension is trapped in Gotham. With her strange abilities, she catches the eye of a few members of the Bat-family and the Young Justice team. Between S1 and S2, during Jason's tenure as Robin. T/M for violence and sexuality.
1. Prologue: Empty Heart

**Okay so this all come from a weird dream I have been having for a while now and I figured I might as well write it. If it seems totally whacked and confusing, that's because it is. I have a lot more planned for this character, so it's totally fine if you don't understand what is happening, all will be explained later.**

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Ch1: Empty Heart

The Ethereal crouched down on the rooftop. She was far from the actual city. The lights scared her. This didn't seem right. This didn't fit what she was expecting.

When she had been sentenced and walked into this world, she expected a lot more fire, elaborate torture chambers and cells full of the galaxies worst criminals. Either way, she was determined to live as long as she could manage. She assumed that the Shadow Creatures had made a mistake, sent her to the wrong realm. She assumed they would be looking for her by now, to rectify that mistake.

The moon was a small crescent in the sky, and she turned from it. She was happy for the dark light emanating from her skin; it protected her from the moonlight.

She was Ethereal, a creature born under the class of wisp conjurers. She had no name.

She watched the warehouse beneath her light up and spring to life. A big group of men drove up and unloaded several heavy crates into the building. She watched curiously, still entranced by human actions. She could hear their loud voices booming out, and she recognized their language as the one of mortals. She had learned many languages in her life, several being the languages of men. She crawled farther on the roof before conjuring her wisp.

The small ball of white light and energy seemed to come directly from her chest and she whispered un-intelligible words to it while cupping it with her hands. As she pulled her hands away, her eyes turned a translucent shade of white, as if watching through the eyes of the wisp itself.

The wisp moved curiously, floating a few circles before making its' way to the edge of the rooftop. It disappeared and the Ethereal's eyes turned white again, watching through it.

The wisp conjurers had very special abilities when it came to their wisps. Many other conjurers could control their wisps to hurt or help in any way they could. Ethereal's were the only creatures that could only use their wisps as a means of surveying. They were said to be more gentile creatures, which would rather explore than hurt, or so the stories said. In this way, the Ethereal was able to see whatever the wisp saw.

The small wisp flew into a large window on the very top of the building and looked down below. She could see the men setting the crates all around and talking in a large circle in the center of the room. The wisp flew more, noticing a small figure standing on the upper level of the building, seemingly watching the men below.

The figure was statuesque and still, holding onto the rails beside him. His head pulled up, and the wisp could see a red mask covering his eyes.

The Ethereal was interested by this turn. No one had ever noticed her before. Or her wisp. She crawled to the side of the rooftop and carefully slid inside the window that the wisp had gone through. She crouched down, the voices much louder now. The figure with the red mask was still watching her wisp, seemingly transfixed.

The wisp moved around, making small circles in the air. It looked comical, as it if was chasing it's own tail. The figure watched still. He didn't seem afraid, and the Ethereal did not feel threatened. She crouched lower, onto her hands and knees before summoning the wisp back to her. The figure watched and the little ball of light returned to its mistress, before looking directly at her. She watched him, not coming out of the shadows. She put her hand out, dark energy surrounding her, and the little wisp was absorbed slowly back into her hand.

The figure watched all this, transfixed.

Her eyes returned to their normal shade of dark black before she stepped out of the shadows, letting herself be showered in the artificial light in the warehouse.

The person in the red mask watched her, unafraid. He should have been, he knew that. But this creature hadn't hurt him, and looked like she wasn't planning on it.

He had never seen an Ethereal before, and the closest he had to compare was Enchantress, or Trigon's daughter Raven. The Ethereal gave of a dark aura, coating her body was a strange pulsing black light. Her hair was even stranger; it seemed to float behind her, as if she was in water. If it had obeyed gravity, it would have seemed longer, cascading down her back.

He had come here to reprimand a group of drug dealers, but he couldn't seem to focus on them, looking only at her.

One of the men shouted loudly, breaking their intimate gaze. They both looked down, alert to the danger below. They had been spotted. Quickly, the men below armed themselves and began firing up towards the rafters where the Ethereal and the man in the mask were.

The Ethereal paused, having never seen firearms before. She blinked several times and tried to understand why the atmosphere of the room had suddenly changed.

The man, however, rolled to the floor to escape harms way and began firing back to the group below with what looked like a taser gun, hitting several members. He shot the Ethereal a look and then jumped down to the floor below. The Ethereal watched in fascination as the man gunned down several of the other people. He managed to flip himself over and while in the air, pulled some kind of boomerang from his belt which he then launched at another man.

She stood and leaned over the railing, hair following her before stopping and billowing around her. She watched as the man fell, blood pooling around him under the batarang. Noticing another figure in the shadows, she jumped down as well, unnoticed amidst the chaos.

The other figure turned out to be a man, another drug dealer, pointing a rather dangerous looking gun to the masked man. She could tell that the masked man was unaware of his presence. The drug dealer fired his gun, hitting the masked man's arm and eliciting a painful yell. She stood up, feeling anxious now. She felt a primal urge to protect, to help this person she knew nothing about, only that he had accepted her with only a look.

The hooded man slumped down to his knees, clutching his bicep. She watched the blood seep out from under his gloved hand as she stepped into view. The gaze of both men fell onto her as she outstretched her arm.

The man with the gun, now pointed at her, started shaking. He had never seen anything close to this woman, and more or less assumed that she was a demon of some sort. She kept her gaze fixed on him.

Silence permeated the air around them, all of the other dealers now dead. She walked forward; her footsteps hardly making a sound, arm still outstretched. The man shook violently as she stopped moving, only a few feet from him.

Eyes turning white, she focused her mind. Using just a fraction of her force, the man's heart burst from his chest, and seemed to float in midair. He staggered with the open cavity in his ribcage, before falling face-first onto the ground.

The Ethereal turned now, facing the masked man, still clutching his arm. Her arm moved with the heart, now floating above the floor.

She kneeled down on one knee, the heart levitating downward while leaving small droplets of blood on the floor. Looking up to the masked man, she presented him the heart, having no words to speak to him. She could not see any emotion, but behind the mask his face was a mix of shock and awe.

The heart hung there between them, suspended.


	2. Chapter 1

Ethereal found herself watching more often than not. She didn't really belong on this planet, so she had a little case of culture shock. So, she watched. She watched the people on the streets, clutching their bags when the sun went down. She watched the violence in the alleys, in the darkness, feet from the safety of light. In the daytime, she watched the city as it seemed for most. Light, busy, still dangerous. The people were always on their way to somewhere, hurrying across the streets as if they couldn't be bothered to actually live in the city they inhabited.

But it was at night when the fun really started. It's not that she enjoyed violence, but it was familiar. She understood torture and pain. She didn't understand the sounds of stilettos on the pavement, but she understood the sound of pain. She supposed that was universal, suffering. She saw the people in the light become who they really wanted to be. The businessmen became rapists and the stiletto clad women became whores leaning on street signs under cover of darkness.

It had been a few weeks since she had seen the masked man. She had seen other masked people, running and hopping from buildings, bringing light to the darkness full of night. She mostly stayed back, watching. It was a strange world. She was absorbing new information. By now, she had used her abilities to fit in. She would watch the people from the sky, and mimic their bodies. It was difficult at first, using her abilities to change how she appeared. She didn't understand how humans had such colorful and weird variations, until she realized that the clothing they wore was not actually skin, and they more or less looked like her under all that decoration.

She perched on a ledge, high above the monorail system and looked intently down at the boarding station. There was a woman standing near the tracks, looking down at her phone which lit up her face. Ethereal mimicked the woman's face, changing her lips to a deep red color. The woman had blue pigment smeared on her eyelids and Ethereal accidentally changed her lids a different color in an attempt. The woman was carrying a large briefcase made of leather and Ethereal created a large boxy structure (somewhat resembling a bag) and held it in her hand as if she had important documents inside that needed protection. As the monorail sped to the station, the woman looked up and squinted at the oncoming headlight from the train. Ethereal watched intently and focused on narrowing her eyes, making them bigger or smaller. Human emotions were hard to nail down.

As the woman left, she created a long black cloak to hang over her shoulders. She stood up and looked down at her feet. As she thought intently of shoes, her feet were suddenly clothed in a soft black fabric sliding up her body. It was essentially a form fitting onesie with shoes, although she didn't have the words to articulate it.

A large form landed with a thud on the roof behind her. Her concentration wavered, and for a moment she was a black shadow pulsing light. She turned quickly, regaining her human form. A large person stood before her. She couldn't quite understand the gender of the person, they had a large square jawline. But they had on a long black cloak like her, and weird things poking out of their head like ears.

She bent down, not wanting to be perceived as a threat. Keeping her eyes on the cloaked figure, she replicated his appearance. She could feel her body changing and growing as he watched her.

After she finished, she looked over herself, admiring her work, then back to him. He cocked his head and outstretched an arm. She mimicked his arm and turned it over, wondering why his arm had big black looking spikes on it.

He pointed at himself, "Batman." His voice was deep and foreboding, but she didn't perceive any harm.

She moved her outstretched arm back to herself, mimicking him again. "Batman," she said.

He shook his head no. "No, I'm Batman. Who are you?"

"I'm Batman," She turned the words over in her head. And shook her head no.

He moved closer and held his hand out as if he was reaching for her. She looked inquisitively at his hand before moving. She outstretched her arm, mimicking a bare human arm. She reached for his glove, and when they touched she became fascinated by him. It wasn't hard, like steel, which was what she was picturing.

She traced a finger over his glove, twisting the fabric in between her fingers. In reality, she became a little to fascinated by his clothing that she dropped her guard down. He swiftly jumped behind her a snapped some weird collar onto her neck.

The inhibitor color shut off all abilities, and suddenly this image of Batman she was trying to perfect was gone. She was shrouded in black light and her hair floated above her. She hissed angrily as her arms were bound behind her.

Suddenly the air was gone from her lungs and everything was black.


	3. Chapter 2

The air was different in the cave tonight. It was probably due to that _thing_ Bruce brought home. Jason walked down the steps into the basement, expecting to see a ghost, at least by the way Bruce has described it. Jason reached the bottom of the landing and saw Bruce furiously typing away at the Bat-computer.

"Where is this thing?" He asked, not really caring. Bruce waved to the gurney behind the computer without stopping.

"League has no idea, was going to talk to the Lantern Corps. It's clearly not from Gotham," He didn't take his eyes from the computer screen.

Jason crossed his arms and wandered over to the gurney. There was what looked like a woman lying on the table. Her hair fanned out beside and behind her, somehow still in fluid motion like she was suspended in water. But what struck him as most familiar was the dark black aura radiating around her.

"Hey I know her," He mentioned casually, cocking his head to look down at her face. Bruce launched himself across the room to Jason's side.

"You what?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah a couple months ago, this is the girl who tried to save me down at the docks when the Falcone arms deal went wrong." He mentioned, cocking his head to the side, "She was the one who tore that guy's heart right out of his chest without moving a muscle. How did you find her?"

Bruce stood at the foot of the gurney, staring intently at Ethereal's face. "Got a couple tips, Nightwing said he saw something recently, hanging out like a gargoyle watching him on patrol. Figured it was the same thing."

"She's not an it," Jason said defensively, looking back to Bruce, "Why didn't you tell me you had a lead?"

"I didn't really. I found it on patrol last night, I wasn't expecting to have it just walk up to me and touch me." He said, still using it pronouns, which just irritated Jason more although he couldn't really pinpoint why.

"She _touched_ you?" He asked, confused. Most rogues just went straight into fight or flight, not really hang-around-for-a-chat type people. Bruce outstretched his arm.

"Came right up and grabbed a hold of my glove," Bruce said dropping his arm. "I wouldn't think it was a threat, but after the whole heart thing, I'm not taking a chance."

He walked back to the computer and settled back into writing whatever Jason had interrupted him when he walked in. "It'll probably wake up soon, so get ready for a rude awakening."

Probably a good thing they weren't in their civvies then, Jason thought. He uncrossed his arms and touched her hair. It floated around his hand, like ripples in a pond.

Ethereal's eyes opened quick as lightning when he touched her. Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings before Jason started talking. She looked at his face, focusing on the red mask over his eyes.

"Hey, you're safe. We aren't going to hurt you," he motioned to the collar around her neck, "Safe."

She moved quickly, hopping to a crouching position on the gurney, staring at him incredulously.

He turned to Bruce, "Do you have anything to translate?" Bruce shook his head as he swiveled the chair around, watching her. Jason turned back, motioning to himself, "Safe."

"Safe," she repeated, "safe."

"Yes, safe," he said, ignorantly hoping she knew what safe meant.

She put her hand to her neck, feeling the collar holding her bound. She motioned to him her hand opening and closing into a fist. She wanted to be able to summon her wisp, to help translate. He blinked not understanding.

"Safe," She repeated, tapping the collar, making small _tap tap_ noises.

"She wants the collar off," Jason turned back to Bruce.

"I bet she does," He crossed his arms again, leaning back into the chair.

"Human," She said, trying desperately to understand, "Human." She gestured to Jason.

"Human," Jason motioned to himself, and then turned his attention to her.

She blinked, "Ethereal," Bruce and Jason looked at each other, still not understanding. They didn't have Ethereals here in Gotham.

"Ethereal," Jason repeated, twisting his tongue over the word, testing to see how it felt.

"Human," she gestured to Jason, then back to herself. "Ethereal."

She looked to Bruce, still donning his cape and cowl, "Batman." She repeated. She had no idea what a Batman was.

Jason snickered, "No, he's human."

She turned her gaze to him incredulously. Batman stood up and both of their gazes turned to him. He showed her his hand and then dipped it down to his belt. When his hand emerged again, it was holding a heavy black object and pointed it in her direction.

"What the _fuck_ dude?" He yelled, moving quickly in front of Ethereal, "What are you trying to do, taze her?"

"She knows what a gun is, doesn't she?" He asked, walking closer to Ethereal. She remembered seeing guns before, the night she met Robin. It still didn't hold much meaning to her. Could she even be hurt by a gun? It was Jason's reaction that more freaked her out. He was suddenly very loud, and _angry_. "Move."

Robin did as he was told, casting a wary eye to the Ethereal curiously cocking her head to the side, watching the both of them. The tazer-gun was still pointed at her. Suddenly her eyes registered. She looked to Jason and moved her hand to her bicep. She remembered him being shot in the warehouse.

She looked back to the Batman, now realizing she should be scared. He walked to her before looming above the gurney with the gun pointed down to her temple, "No safe."

"No safe," She repeated again, realizing who was in charge here. Suddenly, with the click of a button, the inhibitor collar was broken in two pieces on the floor. Her eyes darted before realizing she was pretty at a loss here against the two of them in an unfamiliar cave.

Batman put the gun in his belt at his waist, and Ethereal kept staring at it before flickering her eyes back to him. She outstretched her hand and summoned her wisp from her chest in a ball of light. The wisp hovered, as if unaware of the tense situation it had suddenly come to life in.

"Safe," She said again. The wisp perched on her shoulder, changing the words into a language she could understand. "Safe," She said nodding.

"Safe." Jason repeated.


	4. Chapter 3

She laid back down onto the gurney, unsure of what to do for herself. Jason returned back downstairs holding two plates in his hand, still donning his mask. She had been here what had felt like weeks, but it must have only been a few days. The wisp was busy admiring the large cave, but when it saw Robin, it bounced back beside him, perching on top of his matted hair.

"I know it's been a long few days here, but trust me, we are trying to figure out how to keep you safe," He said, smiling when he saw her sit up in the gurney again.

"Safe," She muttered, dangling her legs over the side.

"Yeah, safe." He sat down at a cluttered table near the computer. There were random pieces of metal as well as bloody clothing and several random weapons not put away. The plates made a loud clang as he set them down on the table. "Eat."

"Eat," She repeated, "Eat what?"

He pushed a plate her direction and sat down to enjoy his food. She moved closer to him as the wisp sat looking inquisitively down at the plate of food. It was just a sandwich and potato chips, but still much different than home, and different from what she had been eating before she had gotten kidnapped.

She perched at the table, feet on the chair as she watched him eat. She lifted a chip to her mouth and bit before grimacing. "Salty," the wisp translated.

"Humans like salt," Jason said, getting a little annoyed with her constant state of confusion. Bruce had no idea what to do with her. She wasn't dangerous, not inherently anyway. Her abilities would make a good addition to the Justice League, but she was in no shape ready to hold her own with the likes of Wonder Woman.

"When can I go home?" She asked as Jason looked up. He wasn't used to her translating stuff with that random shadow rabbit that sat on his head. She tentatively lifted another chip to her mouth.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked, he still didn't know why or how she got there. She hesitated.

"No," She looked down, munching thoughtfully.

"So, we don't know a whole lot about other galaxies or dimensions or wherever it is you came from. So, it looks like you are stuck here until you give us some real information to work with." He took another bite of his sandwich and the wisp bobbed as his head moved with each bite.

"I was exiled," She stated calmly, taking another bite. He cocked his head, interested.

"Why?" He asked.

"It is complicated," she said, not wanting to say more.

"You want to be around people who will understand you?" He asked, trying to figure out if he knew any inter-dimensional beings. She hesitated, in truth, she hadn't really thought about her long-term plans on Earth. She ran a hand through her hair, calming it before it fanned back out around her.

"I do not know. I want to be safe," She said again, not really sure if such a simple concept existed in such a violent place.

He nodded thoughtfully, "I have an idea."


	5. Chapter 4

M'gann entered the cave, and looked around in awe. She had only been invited to the Batcave a handful of times. It always struck her as huge, and dark. She couldn't imagine why someone would want to spend so much time in a dirty, grungy, hole in the ground.

Robin spoke furiously, "And I don't exactly have Batman's consent on this, but you are the only person I could think of who might understand her. Like the language barrier isn't so bad now, but she's not human. She's not _normal_."

She scrunched up her nose, trying not to take offense to that. No one was normal, everyone just had perfected how to act normal.

"It's just," He turned back around as they descended the stairs almost at the bottom landing, "I don't know what to do with her."

"Calm down," She said, humans were weird, she didn't deny that. "Just let me talk to her."

M'gann brushed past him and was immediately confronted by a little blob of light bouncing in her line of view. The light looked shocked to see her, and kept a safe distance away. Jason kept walking, ignoring the little ball. She descended down after him, keeping a good eye on the light.

"Hey," He said from the landing, "This is M'gann. She is from another planet."

M'gann rolled her eyes before putting her foot down on the landing. She looked up and locked eyes with Ethereal perched on top of the Batmobile parked on a platform in the center of the room. She was a little shocked as she looked at the black light pulsing out from the Ethereal's form.

"I may be a little out of my depth here," she said. The wisp darted back into sight as it sat on the top of Robin's head, watching M'gann. "What is that?"

"It's part of her. She calls it a wisp," Robin explained, "It's kind of like a genomorph from what I can tell."

M'gann focused on the Ethereal, hoping to be able to communicate telepathically. _We have similar abilities. Why are you here?_

The Ethereal did not break eye contact when the Martian's voice cut through her mind. She tried to not answer the question, but the Martian plucked the truth right from her mind. M'gann blinked several times, trying to digest the new information. She hesitated before speaking again.

"Well she needs protection that's for sure," She said, crossing her arms. "Give us some time alone, let us talk."

Jason looked to the woman perched on top of the car, and then up to the white figure perched on his head. He didn't know what to say. He held his hand up to the top of his head and the little ball hopped in his hand. He lowered his hand so he was eye level with the ball of light.

"Safe," He said, "Okay? You are safe," He dropped his arm and watched as the little ball of light moved to investigate M'gann.

He waited at the top of the stairs until he heard the sound of voices below and he knew it was safe to leave her.

After some time, he came back down to find the two both sitting on the gurney, staring intently at each other. It looked weird, until Jason realized M'gann was doing her telepathy thing. He stomped his feet rather loudly until the Ethereal broke eye contact and looked up at him. M'gann hopped off the gurney and walked to him.

"She would be good on the team. But she needs to acclimate. That's probably the best place to be to get used to people. They are not going to care," She said, folding her arms in front of her chest, "Conner would love her."

"How are you guys doing anyway?" Robin asked, breaking eye contact with Ethereal. M'gann sighed.

"He is being difficult. We are fighting again, but hey, when do we not?" She asked, laughing slightly. "Give her a week down here with you and then I'll come bring her to the cave. She will learn by watching, that is what I did. Give her something to watch on the computer, at least she can get used to human interaction that way."

Robin nodded, looking back at the Ethereal, "Okay yeah, I'll tell Bats."

M'gann shot him a look, "Shouldn't you ask Nightwing?"

Jason rolled his eyes, "Come on, I don't need his permission, it's not his team."

"It kind of is," She said, a note of warning in her voice, "But hey she got you on her side, that is one for the record."


	6. Chapter 5

Mount Justice was new, for her at least. She liked it, it felt the most like home for her. The most that could really be expected from a home on Earth. It was an odd collection of people. An arsenal of characters with weird abilities seemed to always be walking around. But there were a few who really actually lived there, like her, they had no place to go.

Robin came to visit every now and then, but mostly Ethereal was still getting into the swing of things. Nightwing had taken over training her but mostly he was out of his depth. She didn't need combat training, she needed compassion training. After ripping a dude's heart out of his chest, the team decided they would chose the route of light training, mainly for Nightwing's safety. Black Canary was getting her to open up more, to show others she could be trusted, and to show her that everyone was a friend. Like any new recruit, everyone was wary of her.

"Again," Nightwing said, "You need to focus on tightening your core, right in your center. You need to keep the center of gravity level and grounded. You are just flailing around."

"This is pointless," Ethereal stood up straight. She just called herself Ethereal now, since she was the only one of her kind, she figured to just use that as her name. "I do not need to keep a level center of gravity, I can just crush you up into a little ball with my 'abilities'."

"Telekinesis," He said standing up straighter and lowering his escrima sticks. "And how are you going to defend yourself without them?"

"Why would I need to?" She asked again, not actually confused. She just didn't much care for Nightwing, he reminded her too much of the Batman. She should probably be grateful to him since he found her a home and got her off the streets and all, but the guy was just scary. She much preferred the Robin she met.

 _"Robin B-13 Batman 02"_

Nightwing sheathed the sticks and walked over where the duo had just appeared. She stood silently, watching before Robin stuck his head over and smiled at her.

"Hey! I didn't even see you!" He said walking over. She smiled, and summoned a small wisp which immediately flew to him. Nightwing and Batman exchanged glances before turning back to each other. The wisp sat in the palm of Jason's hand before bouncing up to perch on his shoulder.

"I have been training a lot," She said.

"You have it get used to it, it's a lot of work," He said, he kept walking and motioned for her to follow. "You know, I think it just makes them spooked because you don't quite…fit in…appearance wise."

She put a hand up, as if to tame her wild hair, but it just floated away from her grasp.

"Megan said to find a human form I like and stick with it. I have not found anyone worth replicating," she looked over at him and then smiled. She stopped in the hallway and stared at him. She was able to replicate him pretty easy, although she didn't know what he looked like under the mask. "Can I just trick everyone and become you?"

He smiled from ear to ear as he admired his clone. He feigned confusion, "Should I be flattered or scared?"

She stopped thinking so much and let her mind rest as her body turned back into its regular shape, "It is a lot of effort. I am not sure how she maintains it."

"She's had a lot of time to practice, don't worry about it," He started walking again and soon they reached the living room. Conner was sitting on the couch with Megan nestled in his lap while flipping through channels. His eyes darted over when they entered the room.

"Hey Kon, if you could look like anyone in the world, who would it be?" Robin asked as Ethereal sat down in the farthest possible spot away from them. Conner looked at Robin annoyed.

"I don't know, what kind of a question is that?"

"I'm trying to help her pick somebody to look like," He said as M'gann moved slightly. They were talking too loud. Conner's eyes flicked to Ethereal then back to Robin.

"I don't know man," He turned his attention back to the TV screen and continued flipping through the channels.

"I do not care what I look like, I just want to go _do something_ ," She muttered quietly to Robin sitting down across the counter from her. She didn't care what she looked like under cover of darkness, she figured they wouldn't either.

"That's actually why Batman and I are here," He smiled a little half smile.

"I get to go on an assignment?" She could feel Connor turn his head over, suddenly interested in the conversation. He turned back, listening in intently.

"Soon, I promise," Her smile dropped and the wisp on his shoulder watched with interest.

"You said that last time."

"Yeah, but last time we didn't have a mission for you, now we do."

Her head perked up. She was suddenly interested. Would she get to kill the bad guys? No, Black Canary said that was bad. We don't do that. Her eyes wavered, remembering where she was. Everything was either right or wrong, good or bad, where she was from. Now, here, everything was fuzzy. Not black and white at all. But we don't kill. That was what Canary said.

"Alone?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't be having to work together with these people she hardly knew. He shook his head.

"That's the thing, with me and maybe Nightwing," He said. It was obvious to everyone except her that they were trying to keep the team as safe as possible, from her. If Robin hadn't fought so hard, she probably wouldn't even be on the team, if she was really considered to be on the team at all.

She nodded, "I would like that."

"Yeah?" Robin asked, teasing, "You won't pull any more hearts out for us?"

Conner's ears perked up, he had heard the story, they all had. No one had said anything but holy crap, even he wasn't that nuts when he first got to Mount Justice. Ethereal ducked her head down, that was almost a lifetime ago. She tried to remember her talks with Black Canary. We don't do that.

"Not unless you would like me to," she answered, acutely aware of the fact that there were other people in this room.

Robin smiled.


	7. Chapter 6

_Do you copy E? I don't hear you._

 _I copy just be quiet._ Ethereal was perched on the very top of a building, scoping out the territory below. Her wisp came flying back up to her, having seen all that was below. _It is all clear._

She still wasn't used to the psychic link yet. It was just another in a string of weird things that she kept having to adapt to. Turning her head back, she saw two cloaked figures swoop down to the second story window of the building across the dimly lit street. She could hear the sound of footfall as they both hit the windowsill and stood for a minute before the window popped open and they disappeared inside. She crouched, waiting for noise.

 _I have heat signatures from four people. Look like they are downstairs. One person is in the middle of them. Could be the boss man, could be a hostage._ M'gann stated from the bioship above. It was fully cloaked and Ethereal didn't understand why she couldn't just wait up there. They said they wanted her for backup, but it seemed like they just didn't want to let her actually be a part of the action. She waited for a few seconds but heard no response. She focused on the building, letting a wisp fly to the window in search of Nightwing and Robin, but couldn't see them.

 _Should I?_ Ethereal asked, hoping so badly that she would actually get to do something this time. All of a sudden she heard gunshots piercing through the stillness in the night.

 _Yes, go,_ M'gann said, knowing full well she would be watching in the bioship for any screw-ups. Ethereal didn't need to be told twice. She hopped up and jumped effortlessly to the windowsill and peaked her head inside. She let the wisp travel in front of her, watching for any movement. All the apartment doors were closed. She followed the wisp down the stairwell quickly, noting how silent the night had gotten once the gunshots stopped. As she landed on the ground level she saw Nightwing and Robin standing over three guys on the floor.

 _Hostage_ , Nightwing said. She was partly disappointed, not that she wanted anyone to get hurt, but she wanted to be of actual use. She walked up from the shadows and let the wisp hover over the men on the floor, making sure they were really down for the count. There was a guy in the middle, all tied up and gagged. He just looked like a regular guy in a suit.

Robin turned over to her and shrugged, "Guess there wasn't a whole lot we needed you for." His voice cut through the silence and Nightwing turned to him as if to reprimand.

Nightwing turned back to the hostage as Robin walked over to Ethereal. He started working on the bindings around the man's wrists as another gunshot rang out through the room. All of a sudden, Ethereal felt herself crushed, pinned to the floor by a force. The wisp flew frantically back to her as she squirmed. She didn't even realize it was Robin on top of her until the shots ceased for a moment.

"GET O-" Robin cupped a hand to her mouth as he looked up towered the balcony overlooking the lobby of the building. All of a sudden, the shots stopped and Robin seemed to had vanished. She sat up, dazed and confused. She looked over to where Nightwing and the hostage was before noticing two things. One, Robin and Nightwing had gone. And two, the hostage was now definitely dead. He lay, slumped over a pool of blood and Ethereal sent the wisp over to see if she could sense a heartbeat.

She quickly jumped up and saw presumably the shooter, hanging halfway over the railing beside Robin and a somewhat slumped Nightwing.

 _Uh guys?_ M'gann seemed a little more than worried when they hadn't answered.

 _Second shooter,_ Ethereal said and watched as Robin went to Nightwing. There was blood spreading across his shoulder. _Nightwing is injured._ _Come to the main lobby._

Nightwing shot her a look, as if he was too proud to accept that he needed help. Robin slung an arm around his waist and helped him hobble back down to the main landing.

"I'm still getting used to the new digs," He cracked a smile as he reached the floor again. Ethereal rushed to them as M'gann floated through the ceiling, presumably having been dropped from the bioship.

"You need to lie down," Ethereal said, and called the wisp to her palm. "Let me see what is going on."

Nightwing watched her warily as Robin sat him down on the floor. The blood was starting to leak now onto the floor. M'gann fell to her knees as she dropped the psychic link. She pulled out her phone and sent someone a frantic text. Probably someone on the League. Batman would be here soon. Hopefully. The wisp examined the wound and then suddenly began bouncing around. It was almost comical except that it wasn't.

"You have a tear in your brachial artery," Ethereal stated, as if explaining the behavior of the wisp. She opened her hand and it disappeared into smoke and light.

"Spectacular," Nightwing muttered as he tried to sit up, "It's a through and through I'll be fine."

"Don't be idiotic," M'gann placed her hand on his chest, pushing him back down. She turned to Ethereal, "Can you fix it?"

"Can you fix it?" Ethereal shot her a confused look, "You can replicate the human body much better than I can."

Nightwing and Robin shared a look of confusion. M'gann shrugged, "I've never fixed a gunshot wound before."

"And I have?" Ethereal asked genuinely confused.

"Look, I can try, but you have been literally studying humans since you got here. I'm accustomed. I'll try, but you are much more familiar with anatomy as of the moment," She said and Robin and Nightwing finally caught wind as to what is going on.

"Look if it's all the same, I'd rather not have the kid operate on me in the field." He said, voicing what it felt like everyone on the team had been saying. They didn't trust her. They didn't trust her to not turn on them on a moment's notice.

"She is better educated on this right now, have you been practicing like I told you?" M'gann turned back to Ethereal.

"Yes, but I-"

"It's fine, I'll help" M'gann said, nodding. "What do you need?

Ethereal hesitated before ejecting another wisp into the air. It flew to Nightwing again, examining the wound again. She shook her head.

"I need something to sew up the hole," He pushed her lips together, "Just something to hold the ends together."

"Okay, hold it together," M'gann turned back to Nightwing. "We aren't going to operate on you, just keep you from bleeding out for a little while longer."

Ethereal was busy focusing. It was difficult to concentrate with so much going on. She tried to concentrate all her energy into the artery. The artery she couldn't even see. She tried to picture the broken artery the way the wisp had shown to her. The wisp took the cue and showed her what it saw inside. She suddenly saw it. The blood seemed to be pooling out around a singular spot. She narrowed her focus down to the artery itself, holding it in place. The bleeding seemed to stop and she felt pressure against her. It was a steady beating of the blood under her attention. It was flowing where it was supposed to. His heartbeat was light, but there underneath the pressure

"I have it."


	8. Chapter 7

"Everyone knows about it! You literally stopped his blood from leaking out until we got him to the med bay. Your eyes were all white too, like a ghost!" Jason exclaimed excitedly as he recounted the story for what seemed like the hundredth time. Wally nodded and crossed his arms in front of him.

"That's pretty impressive rookie," Wally noted, giving her a once-over. "Is he still down there?"

"Yeah," Robin smiled again, "He's fine don't worry. Red Tornado just wants to make sure everything is all good before letting him back out on patrol again."

Wally nodded again and looked over to Ethereal. She had been staying pretty silent, mostly sticking near to Robin and M'gann, she didn't like being the center of attention. She lifted a hand and tried to smooth down her hair, "Can I go see him now?"

"Don't see why not," Robin shrugged, "C'mon."

Wally walked behind them, almost like a chaperone as Robin led her down to the med bay. The automatic doors opened to a sterile looking while room. Wally quickly walked over to Red Tornado who was standing behind Nightwing. Nightwing was just sitting on a gurney with a large bandage around his shoulder. He didn't look like he was in pain, but he didn't look very happy. Jason stood at Ethereal's side before nudging her forward. She walked over to Nightwing and awkwardly stood there, balancing her weight on one hip to the other.

"I wanted to tell you I am sorry," She paused, "For what happened. I know you do not know or trust me, but I did not mean for anyone to be hurt because of my actions."

Nightwing turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow quizzically, "You didn't get me hurt you know. We didn't know the other shooter was even there. M'gann didn't pick up his heat signature."

Ethereal pressed her lips together, thinking. She still felt she was to blame. Jason pushed over a stool for her to sit while sitting on the gurney across from Nighwing. She didn't know what to say or do, so she just stood there, awkwardly shifting her weight. He seemed to sense her anxiety and reached out to place a hand on her arm.

"Look, okay, what you did," He shook his head smiling, "You know I've been hurt a lot. This is not my first rodeo."

She didn't know what that meant and squinted, confused, "I don't understand."

"If you hadn't been there…" He trailed off, shaking his head, "You stayed cool under pressure, you kept a level head. You did what needed to be done and you didn't freak out. I just wanted to say thanks, you did good."

Jason smiled, nudging Nightwing in the ribs, "The kid did good?"

Nightwing laughed as Jason jumped up off the gurney, "The kid did good."

"I told you she was a badass!" Robin smiled and sauntered over to Red Tornado and Kid Flash, who had just happened to be looking over in their direction. Ethereal sat down on the stool in front of Nightwing. She raised her hand and conjured a wisp, which danced around in her palm for a second before bouncing over to Nightwing.

"You are healing well," She remarked as the rest of the group exited the room, leaving the two of them alone. Nightwing watched her for a minute before turning his attention to the wisp, which was hovering right around the bandage.

"He likes you," He broke through the silence and Ethereal took her eyes from the wisp and back to him. "He doesn't open up to people a whole lot. But I think he feels some responsibility for you."

Ethereal nodded, "He said you were Robin before he was. It all seems so strange…and confusing." She called the wisp back to her hand and it circled around her palm before climbing up her arm and taking a rest on her shoulder. Nightwing smiled under his domino.

"Yea I guess it is, you get used to it though," He shrugged, biting the inside of his lip, "You know, he just…He's had a rough go of it. I want to see him belong. And he's taken you under his wing."

"He is a sweet boy," Ethereal noted, "He is a good friend. Really the only friend I have."

Nightwing signed, "You know, the team…The team is a group of tight knit people. We have all been through a lot together. After this, they probably all love you." He paused, "You can have more friends if you want."

Ethereal pushed her lips together and looked down at her hands. She felt oddly naked, pulsating black light. The wisp watched her curiously. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Nightwing stood and rested a hand on her other shoulder. She looked up to him, he really commanded authority. There was no doubt he was a protégée of Batman.

"This is not my home," She said finally. She didn't know where her home really was anymore. Nothing felt familiar anymore. She could feel herself changing, trying to become a person who would fit in and have a family and friends, but she felt she was leaving parts of herself behind. Nightwing looked at her before turning his attention to the door. His hand fell from her shoulder as he walked over to the door. He paused.

"This could be your home," He turned and cocked his head to the side, watching her. "If you want it to be."


	9. Chapter 8

Jason sat with her on the bed before turning his attention back down to the photos. M'gann hovered in the doorway, watching with her arms folded across her chest. Robin selected a photo from the bunch and scrunched his eyes at it. Ethereal sat cross-legged with her head in her hands. She wanted to be alone, this was hard enough as is.

M'gann sighed and shook her head, "It's a long process, don't push her on it." Robin shot her a look as she walked off down the hallway. He looked back over to the Ethereal before pursing his lips together.

"You know she is right," He shrugged, "This can wait."

"What about this one?" Ethereal selected a photo of a woman in her mid-teens, with long black hair down to her waist. "She seems pretty."

Jason took the photo and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah that's an actress or model or something, she is pretty. But she isn't you."

"I do not know what that means," She grumbled, turning her attention back to the piles of photographs. M'gann had gone to all the trouble of getting them. Ethereal was fairly certain this was a fun process for her, getting to dress Ethereal up like this, getting her to choose a good human form. Ethereal had mixed emotions about it. She felt naked and alone all the time as herself. But she didn't want to literally become a new person and leave herself behind.

Robin put a hand on her back and the wisp sitting on his shoulder seemed to bob around a few times on his shoulder. The wisps took a liking to him for some reason it seemed. Ethereal thought it was almost annoying, but he found it cute. He rubbed her back, "You know you can always change how you look, you aren't locked into a choice right now."

"I know that," She grumbled, she didn't know why this felt so difficult. Jason sighed and took his hand away, he started sorting through the photos again.

"See her?" He picked up a photo and placed it in front of Ethereal's crossed legs. "That is Jackie. She is really incredibly smart. Pretty sassy, and awful flirty with everyone."

The girl had a short bob of black hair and blue eyes. She was laughing in the photo, displaying a row of perfectly whitened teeth. She didn't feel like a Jackie. Robin placed another photo right next to it of a girl with kinky red hair and a massive number of freckles splattered over her nose and cheeks.

"That's Maggie. She makes everybody laugh at stupid jokes. She is really good with kids and animals. She is super compassionate and everyone loves her," Robin cocked his head looking over at Ethereal. She turned her head and her hair floated with her. He sorted through some more photos before finding another he liked. He smiled before placing it down next to the red head.

"This one, yeah that is Charlotte," Ethereal lifted her head up and held up the photo of the girl. "She is amazingly brave, always the first on the ground, and fiercely loyal. She will fight to the death for the people she loves. But she's got a mean streak, a little danger. She has to be told to go easy in training."

Ethereal admired the photo, the girl had long dark hair, piled in braids on top of her head. She had deep caramel colored skin and a slender, tall frame. She seemed to not even notice that someone was taking a photo, she seemed totally lost in something out of frame. She had one hand up, pushing a braid from her face behind her ear. Ethereal mimicked the motion, even though her hair was definitely not going to stay that way. The woman had long, slender fingers with some chipped orange nail polish.

"Charlotte," She twisted the word over in her mouth. She didn't feel like a Charlotte. That wasn't her name. She hesitated, still admiring the photo, "Does my name have to be Charlotte? Can I not still be myself?"

"Of course, you can still be yourself!" Jason smiled a big grin, "It's still gonna be you, it's not gonna change who you are inside."

Ethereal licked her lips before concentrating on the photograph and transforming herself. He body shifted and molded itself and she blinked to admire her work. She held up her hands, now with long, slender, chocolate colored fingers. She turned her hands over, admiring the chipped polish. Finally, she turned back to Jason. He had a stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Still Ethereal," She said, reaching a hand up to her head. Her braids were piled on the top of her head in a haphazard looking bun. She turned to look at the floor to ceiling mirror in front of the closet, "It is still me."

"And you look great," Robin smiled, his face lighting up. The wisp on his shoulder seemed to almost nod in approval. She still stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't feel any different. She thought she would feel like an entirely new person. "C'mon let's go tell the team."

"No, no, not yet," She hesitated, turning back to him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, putting a hand up to her cheek. She could feel the warmth from his hand on her skin, her very human skin. She closed her eyes, letting herself relish the feeling of human contact. It had been a long time since someone had touched her like that. She opened her eyes, "E, just call me E…for short."

"E," He raised an eyebrow before pulling his hand away, "I like it. Short, simple, easy to remember."

She smiled, watching him. He seemed so confident all of the time. Just the feeling of having his approval was enough. She knew she picked right. She reached her hand out, over the stack of photos. He smiled and held her hand innocently. E looked back down at the photos. Everything that made her who she was, her whole life before Earth, seemed not to matter. She wanted to become a new person, and do good for the sake of keeping people safe. She looked back up at Robin, who had just been intently watching her. She wanted to be like him. Ever since the first night they had met, she wanted to be like him.

"Promise me," She took a deep breath, "Promise me, you'll be here. You'll stay. You aren't going to leave me here."

She didn't quite know where that had come from, and she didn't mean anything romantic by it. It seemed like a big decision to make with someone. She wanted to become a new person, for him. She wanted to give him everything. She looked over to him, a red blush creeping across her cheeks. His head was cocked to the side, with just one corner of his mouth pulled up at the side in a weird almost-smile.

"Of course," He put his other hand over theirs, holding everything in place where it belonged, "I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled in relief, blush still across her cheeks.


	10. Chapter 9

"So," M'gann paused, fork in midair, "Are you guys dating now?"

E shook her head, swallowing her food before responding as M'gann took another bite of the cake in-between them. "No, we are just friends."

"You guys would be cute together," She shrugged, turning her head back to the television across the kitchen. Wally leaned up against the back of the couch, furiously eating his slice of cake, "Don't you think they would be cute together?"

Wally was obviously not ready for the question, mainly because he had cake practically smeared all over his face. He didn't seem to care. With a mouth still of food, he answered, "I dunno, do you like each other?"

E rolled her eyes a tossed a few of her long braids over her shoulder, "No, I told you. We are just friends."

M'gann shook her head, "He totally likes you. You have to make your move, or someone else will."

"Why? Is there someone else around?" E asked, a little too interested now. Wally raised an eyebrow and took another bite of cake. E dropped her fork down and bit off another piece before she could say anything else embarrassing.

"That new girl, Cassie. She's supposed to show up any day now," She turned back to Wally and pointed a fork at him aggressively, "And _you_ have to be nice to her."

"Me?" He feigned surprise, "What am I going to do?"

M'gann shook her head and turned back to E, "You'll scare her off somehow."

E laughed and shook her head.

"How are you an Artemis lately anyway?" M'gann asked, mouth still full of cake.

"She is fine, just struggling with classes and team stuff," Wally shook his head, "I think we should take some time off, just be normal people for a bit. She doesn't like the idea though."

E walked off as M'gann responded at him. She started to head out back to the gym. She didn't need to work out necessarily, she just had gotten into the habit of blowing off steam. By now, she was fairly accustomed to everyone on the team. They were nice, and more welcoming now that she was sticking with a human form and wasn't radiating black light all of the time. She and M'gann had gotten close, but E more figured it was because she liked having more people around who agreed with her. Since they had many of the same powers, she had been teaching E how to control more things. Although she didn't much agree with some of her psychic techniques, she kept her mouth shut. Especially since she knew it was a soft spot between her and Conner.

"I thought I'd find you here," She said as she walked into the rec room. It wasn't much of a gym either, just a few rows of machines and weights in one corner. Mostly it was for training or for basketball, stuff like that. Her steps made clacking noises on the hard wood floor as she made her way over to Robin.

"Hey," He sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel he slung over his shoulder, "What's up?"

"M'gann made cake," She paused, leaning on the weight machine, "In case you wanted any."

"Probably all gone by now," He smiled, looking up at her. "Wally has a big appetite."

She laughed, "That he does."

It was silent for a few seconds. All E could think of was M'gann's words about someone else making a move. She wasn't sure of her feelings at all. Did she want to get into a relationship with someone? Someone she cared so deeply for already? She didn't want to ruin their friendship, he was so important to her already.

"Hey do you want to go on patrol tonight?" He shrugged, "Could be fun, Bats is busy with the League so I was just going to do some rounds. You should come. Keep me company."

She smiled, nodding, "Only if you take me back to that diner you took me to last time. They had weirdly good waffles."

"Hole-in-the-wall diners always have the best waffles," He smiled, standing up. "I'll meet you at the docks? Where we met?"

She nodded, "You know I haven't been back there since that night?"

"I can't imagine it would really be high on the list of places you want to hang out in Gotham," He brushed past her and walked backwards to the door.

"I gotta shower. Meet at 9?"

"I'll be there," E smiled.

He cracked into a big grin before turning around and walking out.


	11. Chapter 10

Ethereal sat on the roof of the warehouse, with her wisp flying around impatiently. She couldn't hardly remember her first night here in Gotham. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She tried not to think about it too much. She was trying her best to put it all behind her, like a bad dream. She still hadn't really told anyone about it. Canary (and presumably the League) only knew bits and pieces.

She ran her hand through her wild hair, billowing behind her with the night, sea breeze. She could vaguely hear the sounds of the waves crashing up against the shoreline of the dock. It seemed like at night, on patrol, or on assignment was the only time she could actually be herself. She felt like she had changed so much about herself, it felt nice to sit up high above Gotham and just watch the people, like she had in the beginning. She thought the team and Mount Justice would start to feel like home at some point, but it still felt just as alien as ever. If she didn't belong with her own kind anymore, and she didn't belong here, where did she belong? Where was an alien without a planet supposed to go? She probably should have voiced more of that to M'gann, but M'gann just brushed off most of what E asked about. She was home here, these were her people. As E sat there, perched above the warehouse, she figured she really only had one person. Even after all this time, there was really only one person who had accepted her from the beginning.

"Hey!" Robin bounced beside her and the wisp flew to him excitedly, "Hey there lil guy, miss me?"

"You know he's not an animal, right?" E got up, and walked to him, summoning the wisp back to her where it promptly disappeared.

"Jeez, well someone's in a mood tonight," He said raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," She said defensively, "I just don't know why you wanted to meet here."

He shrugged, "This was where it all began."

"This was where I killed a man," She tried to keep her face expressionless. It was easier, in her real form. At least she didn't have to parade around in her human suit with him. He already knew how she looked and wouldn't give her side-eye glances like the rest of the team.

"Yeah, did I ever thank you for that?" He asked, "Or tell you how badass that was?"

"You are so dark, you know that?" She smiled, turning back to him. She walked over to the edge of the roof before climbing inside a window onto the overhang above the warehouse floor. It was crazy, everything still looked the same. She could hear him rappel down through the window beside her. "You were over there."

She pointed to a few crates on the other side of the catwalk, "You were just staring at me."

"I remember," He said quietly, "I thought you were a ghost."

"A ghost?" She looked to him incredulously, "Of who?"

He paused before pinching his lips together, not wanting to divulge, "My mom."

"I never knew you had a mom who died," E wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but she didn't know how.

"It was a long time ago," He waved it off, "I don't talk about it. Want to go get food?"

She nodded and soon they were back on another rooftop, with a bag of fast food from a local burger joint. He sat with one leg over the side of the building, as if daring death, and one leg out in front of him. She sipped her soda quietly, feeling awkward. She didn't usually feel awkward around him. He mostly felt like home with her.

"You know, I still don't know how you got here," He said, cutting through the silence. He dipped his hand into the bag of food and retrieved a handful of French fries. "You told me once it was exile."

E pursed her lips, deliberately not answering by sipping on her soda. "I don't talk about it."

"I'll tell you if you tell me." He smiled, egging her on. "C'mon, we hardly know anything about each other."

"That's not true," She watched a drunken man on the street below stumble down the sidewalk. "You know everything about me."

"Yeah right."

"You know, I still don't know your real name other than 'Robin'. I actually thought that was your name when we met," She laughed, Robin smiled and shook his head.

"That's the Bat's thing. Believe me, I'm not very interesting without the mask," He took another bite of fries.

"I highly doubt that, you have always interested me," E laid her upper body back onto the roof so she was staring at the stars while her legs still hung over the edge of the building.

"Why?" He asked quizzically.

"You remind me of…well me actually." She said quietly, trying to find the words to explain herself, "You don't just think white and black, you actually fight to keep this city safe, and you aren't afraid of what happens in the process."

"That's not true," He muttered, looking of in the distance. "I get scared a lot."

"You don't seem like it," She said, raising her hands under her head supporting her neck, "You have this confidence."

"Yeah that's another Batman thing."

"I don't believe that," She turned her head to look at him, "You are the reason I'm even here, I'm even on the team."

He nodded silently while looking back at E.

"One day I'm going to get out of here," He muttered, "I am just going to be my own person, y'know? Turn it all around."

E said nothing, only watched him.

"Did you know that I only became Robin after Bats caught me trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile?" He laughed to himself and looked back out over the horizon, "He saw something in me that I didn't. Something worth having around."

"If it makes you feel better I pulled a guy's heart from his chest and you decided I was worth keeping around," She smiled, looking over to him.

"Yeah, because that was awesome," He smiled. "Why did you do that anyway?"

"I'm not totally sure," She paused, looking back to the stars, "I didn't want him to hurt you again."

He moved from where he was sitting to lie down next to her. She almost blushed when he moved his arm under her neck to support her. He pointed up at the sky.

"That's the Big Dipper," He said, motioning to a grouping of a few stars, "Is it the same sky…where you are from?"

E shook her head, "No, it is a lot different. Much different."

Robin didn't ask again as she shifted her weight, "You know, my mom died of an overdose."

She said nothing. Honestly, she wasn't quite sure what a 'overdose' was. It didn't sound good. It didn't sound like something enjoyable for a son to watch though, "My father was executed in front of me."

He turned his head, looking down at her, "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, he was not a very…good person," She shook her head, trying to explain it in a way he could understand, "My whole family really, are not good people."

He was silent for a few minutes before talking again, "Can I ask why?"

"You can ask," She said, turning her head to look at him. His blue eyes were almost piercing, as if he could see into her very being.

"So," He paused, "You did something bad…to get sent here."

She nodded slowly, not liking where this was going.

"Worse than pulling that guy's heart out?" He asked, curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Worse than that," She answered, really not wanting to get into it. "So, Batman is your new family?"

"Pretty much," He said, turning his head back to the sky and sighing. "I was a street kid and he took me in. Taught me how to control my anger," he paused, "for the most part."

"Do you feel," E paused, "At home? With him? With the team?"

"That's not a loaded question at all," He looked back at her, smile creeping to his lips. "He's not my mom. But I'm comfortable. I like the team. I like Bats."

She nodded, "I like them too."

"But it's not home."

"But it's not home," she repeated, looking into his eyes.

They laid side by side like that for a while. At some point the both of them fell asleep, on the top of the roof. When E woke up, she was lying face down on the gravel. She squinted as she awoke and tried to move to get up. Robin was lying next to her, mouth hanging open with one arm thrown over her lower back.

Wake up, the sun is rising," She said leaning on her elbows as she squinted at the morning sunrise. Robin groaned and tried to roll over before she nudged him.

"What?" He asked, eyes still closed.

"The sun is rising." She said again, climbing to her knees.

"What?" He asked again, squinting at the sun. Before she could repeat herself again, he jumped to his feet above her.

"SHIT!" He yelled loudly, "Shit Shit Shit."

She watched as he stumbled over himself and checked his phone.

"Shit, okay I have to go," He looked over at her, "I'll see you later, but shit sorry, I have a plane to catch."

E waved him off and smiled. She stretched looking into the morning sunrise. She couldn't remember the last time she woke up feeling so warm. She watched as his silhouette bounced across the building tops on his way home. She smiled a half smile, watching as he got smaller in the distance.

If she had known that was the last time she would ever see him, she would have said goodbye.


	12. Chapter 11

"Are you guys hungry?" Wally asked, wandering over to pantry, "I'm hungry."

"You are always hungry," Artemis muttered from the couch. She was flipping through channels on the TV.

"Is this right?" E asked Nightwing, curled up on the couch across from her. She motioned with the batarang in hand, "It doesn't feel right."

"It's all in the wrist," He said, not even looking up to her, "You'll get it, I'll have Robin show you when he gets back."

" _But Kylie, you said it would be done yesterday! You promi-"_ Artemis flipped the channel again. The wisp flew and perched itself on her shoulder.

 _"During a family trip to Ethiopia. We have been told Mr. Wayne will be holding the funer-"_ Nightwing stood up as Artemis changed the channel again. The wisp hesitated before hovering away from her and staring squarely at the television.

"Turn it back!" He grabbed the remote from her hand.

"Jeez, don't be so grabby," She complained as he turned the channel back to the news.

 _"This is Cat Grant reporting from New York City, we are being told there is a body, and Mr. Wayne has positively identified it to be his late ward, Jason Todd."_

Wally walked over and Nightwing put a hand over his mouth. The wisp stayed still, watching the news. E didn't really understand the fuss, the air suddenly changed, it was very still. Artemis looked over at Nightwing, with a concerned look on her face. Did everyone know what was happening besides E?

 _"The family has decided to have a private funeral back here in Gotham as soon as they return. Mr. Todd was found inside an exploded warehouse, and his remains will be transported back to Gotham for an autopsy. Please call this number on your screen if you have any information regarding this open investigation. Now, to the weather."_ Artemis shut off the TV and stood up.

"You need to go," She put a hand on Nightwing's back. He still stood transfixed by the blank screen. The wisp hovered down to the carpet right in front of the television set. E just watched, she didn't understand.

"I am sorry," E said, cutting through the silence, "Do you know him?

She looked quizzically over to Nightwing, hand still over his mouth. Wally looked over to her, biting the inside of his lip, debating to tell her or not. He looked back to Dick, it wasn't his secret to tell. Nightwing looked to Wally quickly. Wally nodded, "Go, he needs you."

Nightwing nodded and calmly walked out. The wisp stayed sitting under the television screen, looking a little depressed. They usually were pretty active. E called it back to her and tucked her legs under her. She absorbed the wisp back and looked over to Wally and Artemis, who were now sitting down on the couch. Artemis was whispering softly into Wally's ear as she pushed a piece of hair from his face. Suddenly E felt very invisible.

"Who was he?" She asked after a minute and Wally put his face in his hands before suddenly standing up, not acknowledging her question. Artemis pressed her lips together.

"Go comfort him, he needs a friend right now," Artemis said, Wally nodded and walked out. She sighed and looked over to E.

"Nightwing is going to be AWAL for a while," She muttered to no one in particular.

"I do not understand," E said as Artemis finally looked up to her. Her expression was unreadable.

"He is…" She paused, "Was…He was… a friend."

E nodded, looking back at the blank TV, "Should we do something for Nightwing? Send a card? M'gann says that's how people express condolence. Send a card."

Artemis shot her an annoyed look and shook her head quickly, "Look, it's not…there's nothing you can do for him."

She got up and walked out of the room and suddenly E was all alone. She ejected another wisp into the air and it floated above her hand, hardly moving. She tossed a braid over her shoulder before the wisp showed her what it had seen.


	13. Chapter 12

E looked down at her fingers, intertwining them and chipping off some of her already chipped nail polish. Her legs were crossed in front of her on the couch. She felt very small.

"Mr. Wayne has expressed for only family to come to the funeral," Black Canary repeated herself.

"I heard you," E snapped before looking back down to her fingers, "I do not even know what a funeral is."

"That's not the point," Black Canary cocked her head before crossing on knee over the other, "You were close with Robin, you should talk about your feelings."

E stayed silent, focusing on the mustard polish on her thumb, trying to peel it off in one solid piece.

"I know this is hard for you," Canary said ignorantly. "Believe me, this has been hard on everyone."

"I didn't really know him that well," E said, looking back up. She rested her knuckles against her temple and leaned on her elbow on the couch. "He and Nightwing were closer."

Canary nodded, "Nightwing mentioned that you and Jason would go on patrol together sometimes."

E bit the inside of her cheek before looking back down, focusing on Canary's black heels. They look ridiculously hard to walk in. She looked back up, focusing on a spot on the wall right above Canary's head, "Yeah sometimes."

Canary paused, trying to read her, "Was it hard on you, finding out who he was?"

It had been, rightly so. It made everything so much more real. The bullet that grazed his bicep that first night, he had that no matter what costume he was wearing. He was a real person, with dreams and desires. And he got blown up. She shook her head, "I am not from here. I do not know who Bruce Wayne is. I do not understand the need to keep your life a secret."

That was total bullshit, she was getting good at bullshitting people lately. Canary nodded, "It is for protection."

"Lot of good that did him," E bit the inside of her cheek again and crossed her arms in front of his chest, "I do not want to talk about it anymore."

"Let's talk about something else," Canary suggested turning her head, "Want to talk about where you have been going these past few nights?"

E sucked a load of air into her lungs, "Gotham, I know his patrol route. And since Batman is still gone I figured I could help keep the city safe."

"Gotham isn't your responsibility," Canary answered. E had a weird flash of Robin sitting across from her, eating French fries without a care in the world. "You don't have to worry about that."

"What does 'overdose' mean?" E asked abruptly.

Canary blinked a few times before answering, "It is when you take too much medicine, or drugs and your heart stops."

"Like suicide?" E asked, looking up from her nails.

Canary pressed her lips, "Something like that. Why?"

E nodded, running her tongue across her two front teeth. "Robin's mom died of an overdose."

Canary nodded, this wasn't news to her. "Are you having a hard time calling him by his real name?"

"No," E answered curtly before turning her attention back down to her fingers. "He wasn't Jason to me. He was Robin."

She wanted to stop talking in the past tense. She bit her lip, it didn't make any sense. She should have stopped him from getting on that plane. Maybe if she hadn't woken him up they would have just slept through it and he would still be here. They would go on patrol and laugh just like any other night. Without a care in the world. Maybe he wouldn't be lying on a metal table somewhere. Maybe he would just walk through the door with a big grin on his face and tell everyone he pranked them. _You guys thought my dad was Bruce Wayne? The billionaire? Boy I got you!_

She looked over at the door, half hoping to see him walk through.

Canary waited a few minutes before interrupting the silence, "What usually happens with the dead, where you are from?"

E sighed, "I think the word is cremation, M'gann explained it to me. We usually keep their remains."

"Where you live?" Canary asked.

"Yes, so they are always with us," E said, turning her attention back to the spot above Canary's head.

"Do you think Jason should be cremated?" Canary asked, trying to not show any emotion.

"No," E paused, "It is not my decision. I am not his family."

Canary shrugged, "I care how you feel about it, this effects all of us."

E shot her a look, and almost rolled her eyes, "Can we not talk about it anymore?"

"What would you like to talk about?" Canary asked.

"M'gann and I are looking at getting a place together," She said quickly, "She wants to be close to the Cave, but really I think she doesn't want to be too far from Conner. She is having a hard time with the break-up, I think."

"M'gann will be okay, she is tough," Canary wrote something down on the notepad in front of her, "Why do you want to leave?"

"I do not want to leave the team," she said quickly.

"I just meant Mount Justice."

E paused, she didn't want to admit it was anything to do with Robin, "It does not feel like home."

Black Canary nodded and wrote another thing down, "You miss him?"

E bit the inside of her lip again. What kind of a question was that supposed to be? Of course, she missed him. He was a good friend to her. She couldn't explain it, she didn't want to explain it. It still didn't make sense to her. She knew how death worked, she just didn't _comprehend_ it. She supposed she wouldn't ever until she actually died. She kept her gaze down.

"Yeah."


	14. Chapter 13

E walked over to the coffee maker and yawned, pouring Dick a cup. She put two tablespoons of sugar in it before sliding it across the kitchen counter in between them. He wrapped his hands around the mug before lifting it to his lips.

"Have you talked to Artemis?" E asked, turning around to him. Her braids were piled on the top of her head and she was wearing one of Dick's old T-shirts as pajamas.

His eyes went dark and avoided answering.

E sighed, "You really should say something to her."

He nodded, feeling annoyed. He didn't want to talk to anyone, about anything. Everything had changed the past few years. After Jason's death, everything went to shit. The new Robin was a good kid, he seemed sweet. He was even less involved in training Tim than he was with Jason. He couldn't handle another death on his hands. Now with Wally….

"When was the last time you ate?" E asked, turning her back on him and opening the refrigerator. She pulled a styrofoam container full of Chinese food and put it in the microwave.

"I'm not in the mood for Chinese," Dick muttered, taking another sip of his coffee, "Besides it's 9 am."

"Tough shit," She said, watching the food spin in the microwave, "You need food, and this is all we have. I haven't had time to go to the store."

Because of Wally. Because of the cave. Because of Arsenal. Because of everything that had gone wrong in the past years. Dick and E had moved in together after Wally's death and Kaldur's reinstatement. Dick wanted to more to Bludhaven, and E reluctantly agreed. E thought he had just wanted to make a clean break. Maybe start a new life, or off himself, either way she was determined to not let another friend die.

Originally, she had moved in because she was worried. Over the years without Jason, she had grown close with Dick. She felt it was her responsibility to keep him safe now. Although he more thought she just had a huge crush on him. But after Wally's death, everything had changed. They both were cold now, not sure why they were still trying to help the world, which had taken everything else away from them. It wasn't romantic between them, but they had taken their pain out on each other. He was lonely and so was she, so they were lonely together. Might as well alieve some stress, exert some energy. He wasn't a bad looking guy, he just wasn't the one she pictured. Even though they had been intimate, he still knew nothing about her. She hadn't opened up to anyone except Jason all those years ago. If he were still alive, maybe things would have ended up different. But she was here alone without him. And so was Nightwing. So they took solace in each other.

The microwave dinged and broke E's attention from whatever she had been thinking about. She almost jumped before pulling the food from the microwave and dropping it unceremoniously in front of Dick along with a fork.

"You aren't going out until you eat," She commanded as he rolled his eyes. It seemed like, since Wally's death, they had been on patrol all the time. Dick didn't want to be social, he just wanted to take his anger out on criminals he met. He was becoming more like Batman in that way.

He took a bite before pointing the fork in her direction, "Why don't _you_ call Artemis yourself."

She shook her head and leaned her back against the refrigerator, "She needs to hear from you, you know that."

He nodded, she was just happy he was finally eating. He was getting skinny, like Red Arrow had. She wasn't equipped to handle any more mental crisis, she had enough already. She picked up her phone from the counter and leaned on the table to read it, "She wants to go to the cemetery today. You should go with her."

And with that, Dick stood up and walked back into his bedroom, angrily grumbling to himself. He slammed the door loudly before falling face fist back on top of his bed. E sighed and responded to Artemis, saying she would meet her by Wally's grave. She dumped the half eaten food in the trash, while shaking her head.

She looked out the window, to the sun rising over their porch. She missed Gotham. She missed her old life. She missed her dad. She missed Jason.

E poured herself a cup of coffee and walked out onto the porch. She rested the mug, which was half broken from when she had dropped it on the floor and then threw it at Dick when he laughed at her, on the balcony. She crossed one leg behind the other and took a sip, watching the city come alive. Bludhaven was a lot like Gotham, it was dark and crime-ridden. It wasn't quite as busy as a city though, more offices and less taxi cabs everywhere. She sipped the coffee, watching as her downstairs neighbor snuck a joint while his wife was still sleeping. All drugs reminded her of Jason, just an unfortunate correlation. The sweet smoke made her cough and her neighbor shot her an angry look before putting it out under his shoe and walking back inside to his wife.

She sighed and took another sip, watching the sunrise. The best sunrise was the morning she last saw Jason. That was the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. The colors seemed like watercolor across the sky, broken only up by white fluffy clouds. It must have been a rare day in Gotham, because since she had only seen rainy sunrises. E watched as he city turned lighter shades of grey, the most color she was going to get. She sighed again and walked back inside, leaving the mug on the balcony.


	15. Chapter 14

"I'm chasing down some guys on 13th, anybody copy?"

"I copy, on my way," E said into the communicator. She didn't know why they bothered using the radio when he could literally just call her. Bludhaven was a small city.

She hopped from one roof down to another and flipped into a roll when she landed, hopping back up to her feel. She hit the ground running, getting enough momentum to launch herself to the next roof over. She liked jumping and running and feeling the earth beneath her feet. M'gann had taught her so much, she didn't really need to exert much physical energy anymore. She learned how to levitate, walk through things, and move entire cars with her mind. Maybe she just enjoyed training with Nightwing and Batman more, she liked moving.

She made her way on the rooftops for a few miles before she reached the crossroads of 13thand 91st. She ejected a wisp from the top of a building overlooking the corner before comming Nightwing.

"I'm at 13thand 91st"

"I'm coming down 13th, watch for the black van, I'm behind on the bike." She could hear the screech of tires before he hung up and she stood over the building.

She focused her energy the way M'gann taught her. It was same abilities, just perfected and polished. Instead of flying, she imagined the weight around her from the air. By shifting her density, she was able to float above the intersection. She could hear the screech of tires again. When the car came into view, she could feel the wisp leave suddenly. She kept her attention on the air until the moment the car passed underneath her, when she dropped. She landed on the windshield of the car, shattering it and forcing the car to skid to a halt. Smoke seemed to rise up from the hood as she climbed off. The wisp was somehow in the car, standing on the driver's shoulder. There was something familiar about it.

She cocked her head, and held her hand out, calling the wisp back. The wisp didn't move. She shook her head angrily before noticing that the driver had pulled out a gun from the holster around his waist.

Just a second later the shot rang out and E dropped to the ground, underneath his shot. She noticed Dick on his bike speeding to a stop next to her. She got up, still wondering why the wisp was acting so weird. The man kicked out the side door of the car and climbed out. E had never seen someone wearing a helmet while driving a car, and it looked odd. He fired another shot in her direction, breaking her trance. Dick stood on the seat of the motorcycle and launched himself up and over E's head so he landed directly on the hooded man's shoulders. The wisp popped out under his thigh as they two men struggled.

The man in the red hood expertly jerked his head down, causing Nightwing to shift his balance. He fell forward, but managed to grab the gun from the man's hand before landing on his back on the pavement. E grabbed the door from the ground and held it above the hooded man with her telekinesis. I was mostly crumpled metal with some broken glass. The hooded man looked at her and then back at Nightwing scrambling away, realizing he was now gun-less.

E held the door above him while he crossed his arms. Even with the helmet on, he still sounded clear, totally not muffled.

"You both look good," He said, almost in a laughing tone, "What? Surprised to see me?"

E shot Dick a look before turning back to the door, making sure she didn't drop it on his head, accidentally of course. The wisp flipped itself back over on the hooded man's shoulder. He turned his head up, looking at the door.

"You guys gonna kill me now too?" He paused and Dick stood up straighter. There was something familiar about it all. "Was the first time not enough?"

The hooded man shifted his attention to E. He cocked his head to the side, as if he was a confused dog. He pulled a hand up to his shoulder for the wisp. E watched him, suspicious. The wisp bounced into his open palm and he seemed to examine it for a few seconds before looking back to her.

E opened the palm of her hand and pulled the wisp back to her again. This time it responded as the man put his hand down. It bounded over to E excitedly and she ignored it. Holding the door above still, she shot Nightwing another look and they shared confused glance. The man looked to Nightwing, then back to her, then back to Nightwing again.

"Oh," He said, crossing his arms across his chest again, "I see what is happening here."

Dick raised an eyebrow, clearly getting annoyed with all of this, "Buddy, I'm here because I just saw you drop a body into the harbor."

E shot him another look, almost losing focus on the door, "You what?"

"I'm here because you are a shit brother. And a shit team leader," He said, almost laughingly.

Nightwing tightened his grip on the escrima sticks, "Okay, I'm a little tired of your BS, man."

Good old PG Nightwing. Such a boy scout.

E shifted her gaze curiously to the wisp, still demanding attention on her shoulder. It kept hopping up and down. She held her hand out as she absorbed the wisp into another ball of light. Suddenly her eyes went white as she saw what the wisp knew.

The man watched her reabsorb the wisp and crouched down, seemingly anticipating. As her white eyes shifted back into their usual black, she fell to the ground. As she fell, the door fell with her onto the place where the man in the hood had been standing. He seemed to jump the second the door started to fall and took off running. Nightwing caught her mid-fall as the door crashed to the ground. He saw the hooded man running off in the distance, but turned his attention back to E laying in his arms unconscious.


	16. Chapter 15

"Let me go, I'm fine," E said, clearly annoyed now. Dick crouched in front of her, three fingers displayed.

"Not until you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."

"Three okay? Go back to the apartment I'll meet you there," She rolled her eyes.

"Are we not going to talk about that?" He asked, helping her to her feet, "Why did you faint?"

"I skipped lunch today, let me go," She paused, "I'll go get some food okay? I'll bring back food. We'll talk then."

Dick nodded, still worried. He didn't want to leave her, but he had work to do. He needed to see Bruce and figure out who that guy was. He walked back to the bike before casting her a last look and driving off.

E stood in the street for a while longer, looking and the crushed van and the broken door in the middle of the road. She focused on the door and pushed it back onto the sidewalk, at least no one would run into it there. She knew she had work to do in Gotham.

She flew to Gotham, and let herself just mull over what had happened. How was Jason alive? What had happened? How did this make sense?

She tried to rationalize how it made sense, without actually listening to her own body. The wisp had known it was Jason before she even did. It had _seen_ him and she hadn't. She started to get angry at herself. This was stupid. She was literally so foreign even she couldn't recognize herself. What was she anymore? She wasn't Ethereal, that's for sure. She made her way up town, over to the mansions where the Wayne family lived. Dick would probably be here any minute. She flew past the manor before finding the private cemetery behind the house. She let herself fall down on her knees into the grass. Directly underneath her was the cave, where she started her life. And above that, Jason was (supposed to be) decomposing. She stood up before looking up at the Big Dipper for a moment.

E took a deep breath and looked at the gravestone, underneath the giant oak tree. She crouched back down, coming face to face with it. She read the name over and over again until they didn't sound like words anymore. She let herself see what the wisp saw again. It was him. There was no doubt in her mind. He had been alive all this time, and everyone else had moved on without him. He should probably go hang out with Arsenal, they have a lot in common now, she thought angrily to herself.

"You should have stayed dead," She put a hand on top of the gravestone, pushing herself back to a standing position.

"Tell me how you really feel," A voice said behind her, "And I thought I was mean, you turned into a bitch."

E spun around locking eyes with him. The helmet was gone, replaced by a red domino covering his eyes, just like the first night they met. He was smiling a crooked smile. He had a new streak of white hair in the very front of his head. She grit her teeth together, "What happened?"

He held his arms out mockingly, "What? I don't get a hug?"

"We thought you were dead!" She yelled before lowering her voice, god forbid Bruce showed out up catch her talking to a ghost. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, you suddenly care now?" He asked, lowering his arms down. "You seemed quite content with dropping a door on me earlier."

"Jason…" She paused, lifting a hand up aching to touch him, to see if he was real. Her voice was soft now, "Where have you been?"

"With Talia, you aren't the only one getting tail lately," Ouch, that stung. She blew it off and watched him look up to one of the windows of the manor behind the oak tree. "You know, I expected you to be the one looking for me. Not fucking Dick while the rest of the team mourns."

He shrugged and looked back to her, pulling another gun from his waist holster. Who was this person? This wasn't the boy who helped her find a home here. This wasn't the person who brought her into this world. She gritted her teeth together again, "We never gave up on you, Jason."

He looked at her, gun trembling slightly in his outstretched arm. He took a step closer, "That is bullshit. I died alone."

She shook her head as he stepped closer, gun almost touching her now. She tried to fight back tears, "Bruce, wouldn't let me come. He wouldn't let me go to your funeral."

Jason blinked a few times, he hadn't thought about what his funeral probably looked like. Like, none of his actual friends showing up. He narrowed her eyes back at her, "You put me in a fucking _box_. In the ground. And you left me to _rot_."

He spat out the words venomously and she couldn't help it, a tear trickled down her cheek as she got more and more angry. Angry at him, angry at Dick, angry at herself. He was right. She left him, to die alone, and be shipped back in a body bag. She pressed her lips together, trying to hold everything in, "Jason, tell me what happened."

She trembled and he stepped closer, holding the gun to her temple. Her hair floated around it, almost holding it, twisting around Jason's hand. He remembered wanted to touch her hair when he first saw it, it had looked so fluid and ghostly. He had tried the day Bruce brought her home, and then she woke up. She closed her eyes, she'd rather die by his hand than someone else's.

He dipped his head down to her ear, as he now stood a head taller than her. He never remembered seeing her so small either. His memory wasn't working right, it was sluggish. All of his memories had a red haze over it, nothing was sharp anymore. He didn't understand what had happened to him either. He whispered, "You left me to _rot_."

She shook her head furiously, "No, how can you say that, we-"

He cut her off by kissing her. He didn't really know why he was doing it, but he was. She was still at first before reaching an arm up and putting a hand on his neck, cupping his jaw over her face. He kept the gun close to her temple as he twisted his fingers through her hair violently. She let out a small cry before he wrapped his other arm around her waist pulling him closer to her.

She brought her other hand up to his head and wrapped one leg around him, and he responded with pulling her up, so her legs were wrapped around his waist. In the process, he dropped the gun on the grave. She came up for air before pulling him in again and he held her up. He walked forward, slamming her back against the trunk of the oak tree, she gasped and kept holding his face as she worked on unbuttoning his shirt. When she stopped, she looked down to his chest.

"Wait," She said, bringing a hand down to touch a large scar stretching across his collarbone. It consisted of two diagonal lines running from one shoulder to meet in the middle of his chest each. "What is this?"

Jason stood still for a minute before abruptly dropping her. His shirt hung halfway open and she could see it met at the middle of his chest and then dropped down his stomach like a 'Y'shape until it stopped above his navel.

"Oh my God," Her hand lifted to her mouth in horror. Jason picked up the gun, but she didn't notice. Quickly, before she had a chance to reach, he knocked her unconscious (which was already the second time that day), with the butt of his gun.


	17. Chapter 16

E awoke with a vicious headache. She rolled her head to the side before noticing she was attached to something. She looked up, seeing her hands tied together and tied to a beam on the ceiling. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. It looked like some kind of warehouse. There was a landing below, she was on the second story. Across from her was a bed, neatly made up, with the red helmet thrown haphazardly on top of the covers.

She darted her head back again and saw Jason climbing up the ladder to the second story. He looked so much older, so much bigger now. They locked eyes underneath his domino and he smiled. It wasn't the same smile she was used to, it seemed angry. Something fake.

"Look who finally woke up!" He exclaimed, stepping onto the landing and walking over to her. He stood with his hands on his hips admiring his work before moving back and sitting on the bed.

"You were way too easy to get here, you know. I thought maybe Dick would have taught you a thing or two but I guess not," He reached over to the nightstand and pulled a cardboard box from the top drawer. He reached in and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Lightly tapping it on his knee to pack it, he looked back up to her before sticking it in his mouth and lighting it. As he cupped the flame delicately, a piece of white hair fell onto his face and he pushed it back absentmindedly. He looked back up, taking a drag, "I heard he was busy training my _replacement_."

E stared at him, having nothing to say. He took another drag and blew the smoke out in her general direction. She coughed.

"Yeah, I know about Tim," He said calmly, running a hand over the white streak in his hair. He pointed his cigarette in her direction, "Didn't think you'd get over me so quickly though."

"I'm sorry, did you come back solely for the purpose for berating me about Dick?" She rolled her eyes annoyed, "You lost to privilege to pull this shit when you died."

His eyes widened, almost surprised that she spoke, and then narrowed again. He took another drag, watching her before asking, "Do you want to know how I died?"

She hesitated; did she? She wanted to know what had happened, how this was all possible. She also thought vaguely of the time he and Batman had her trapped down in the cave, she should really stop getting into these situations with this family. E took in a deep breath, "Yes."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, the pain made the thoughts clearer. He couldn't remember a lot of it. None of it was in the right order, and in random flashes. He took another drag, "I was in Ethiopia…with Bruce."

He remembered the night before in flashes. He remembered laying with E on the roof, back when she still looked like herself. He remembered wanting to kiss her really badly. She was the only one on the team he actively enjoyed hanging out with. He remembered waking up the next morning a half hour late for his plane and he left her there. Did she even say goodbye? He remembered French fries.

He paused pointing the cigarette at her again, "You didn't want me to go."

She fought back tears, "I didn't."

"The Joker was there," He paused again, everything was hazy again. "He beat the shit out of me with a crowbar."

That part was clear. He remembered that part well. The sound of his ribs being cracked along with the Joker's maniacal laughter and that _damned ticking sound_. He remembered feeling blood pool around his head, and it was warm like a blanket. That was right after he saw the crowbar come down over his eyes and hearing a loud _crunch_. He had halfway thought that his soul was pouring out of him, but that was mostly because had major brain damage by that point. He heard the ticking get closer together and the Joker got more and more lazy with the crowbar, just smacking wherever he could. His work was done. After the Joker walked out Jason remembered letting out a sigh of relief before the warehouse exploded. He remembered thinking of Catharine. He missed his mom. The next thing he remembered was waking up in _that box_.

"Bruce told me," She said softly and he shot her annoyed look. "Jason, I'm so sor-"

"Shut up," He cut her off, "This isn't about you."

She shut her mouth.

"And you all thought it would be a dandy idea to put dear old dead brother in a box in the backyard," He blinked a few more times. He remembered Talia, and Ra's. He remembered being in Gotham. He remembered the homeless people turning him in. He remembered cold nights and walking through the streets like a zombie. He remembered someone knocking him out cold and awakening with Talia. He took a breath, sometimes he could still smell woodchips in his nose, "And let me _rot_."

There was that word again. Jason remembered waking up in the dark and calling out for his dead mother, and the only father figure he had ever had, only to find no one was coming to save him. Everyone had forgotten and moved on. He clawed his way out frantically and it wasn't until he pulled himself from the dirt into the cold air of the night that he noticed the pain _all over_. He rested against the oak tree, heaving, and he tore open his dress shirt (why was he wearing a suit?). He saw the cuts over his chest and stomach, bloody and lazily stitched up like zippers, they were fresh still, now bleeding in some places. His entire body was littered with marks that weren't there before. Several of his fingernails were now missing (but that was mostly because of him clawing his way out of the dirt), and several fingers were broken, pointing every which way. He took another big shaky breath, mind racing. He leaned over the back of the gravestone and threw up, causing the bleeding to get worse and drip onto the grave, and the hole he had just come out of.

He didn't remember the autopsy, thank god. But some nights, he thought he could _feel_ it.

He looked back up to her, "Here's the deal."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Either, I kill you here and now, or," he paused, standing up and walking over to her, "You get what you want. You get to hear all about where I have been, what my plans are. You get to join me."

"That doesn't sound like much of a choice," She grumbled, not wanting to open her mouth again.

"You don't want to be an assassin?" He asked in a stupid singsong voice, "Don't you still itch for those days? When you got to be as evil as you could be? Yeah, I know all about you. You're a daddy's girl."

E stared at his face, refusing to slip. That was years ago. She wasn't that person anymore. She helped _save_ people. She tried to justify it in her mind, maybe it would be easier if she didn't try to hard to be good.

"Oh come on," He lazily tranced his finger down her cheek. He left fire wherever he went. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. She wanted to be _safe_. "You came into this world, killing people for me. I'll make damn sure you go out the same way."


	18. Chapter 17

E heard the heels of Jason's boots as he climbed back up the ladder and popped his head above the landing. He smiled, seeing she was still there, "Well hey there sleepyhead."

He climbed up to the top of the ladder before she noticed he had blood all over his clothing. Like an awful lot of blood. Like, how can one person have so much blood?

"What happened to you?" She asked, she was leaning slightly to one side with her arms still tied together above her. She was getting tired of standing.

He shot her an annoyed look before sitting down across from her on the bed again. "Paid little Dickie-bird a visit."

She said nothing. She wouldn't let any emotion slip, that's what he wanted.

"He seemed happy to see me," He grabbed another cigarette and lit it before taking a long drag and leaning back on one arm. "Worried about you though. Hasn't seen you since last night."

Everywhere he looked was betrayal. He didn't know how long he had been here, living in the warehouse. Could have been days or months, or years. Did Batman know he was back? Did Batman know he was alive? Probably, which sounded like more betrayal since he didn't seem to be looking for him. Everything had changed since he left, everything was different and everyone was dead.

"He is a good friend," E said, looking over to him. Her voice was horse from screaming. She didn't know where she was, but with her arms tied up she couldn't conjure a wisp to explore. Not that she had much energy to do it anyway.

"That's what we're calling it," Jason smirked, one side of his mouth turned up at the corner.

She rolled her eyes, why did he keep harping on this? He was getting really annoying.

"He was there." She said, closing her eyes, sighing, "You weren't"

He blinked a few times. He looked down at his hands and saw his broken fingers and blood for a flash before they returned back to normal. E didn't see it. He knew he was losing his mind. He was just kind of accepting it at this point. The anger and the pain made everything clearer. He knew what he wanted to do, and he wouldn't let emotion get in the way. He stood up and walked to her, pulling out his knife from his belt. He quickly cut through the rope at the very top, leaving her hands still tied together. She crumpled to the floor, expecting the sudden drop.

He turned his back on her and sat down on the end of the bed again.

"Are you going to tell me whose blood that is?" She wanted to eject a wisp, now that she could move her arms but thought better of it. Jason was unpredictable. He looked like a ball of anger and sadness. She wanted to reach out and touch him.

"I told you, it's from Dick," He waved his arm, brushing off her concern, "Don't worry, I left him alive. Hopefully for your sake, he stays that way."

"Why capture me?" She asked, pushing herself back before leaning back against the cool concrete wall behind her.

Jason squinted, trying to remember why he had captured her. He didn't want to kill her. In reality, he hadn't thought of her. He was preoccupied taking down the rest of the family, she just got in the way. He remembered the wisp first, there was something oddly comforting about it sitting on his shoulder the way it did, before. He didn't know what to do without her. He knew he had always felt good with her, like home. He didn't know if those feelings would come back. Maybe he could recapture those feelings, for just a moment, in this new horrible world. Maybe me could go back, for just a minute.

He shrugged, "You're nice to look at."

She squinted, annoyed at his vagueness. He wasn't doing it on purpose, he really didn't know why. She desperately needed water, but didn't dare ask for it. "So, your plan is what? Just kill everyone who cares about you?"

" _Did_ ," He brushed a hand through his hair absentmindedly. "Everyone who _did_ care about me."

She rolled her eyes, "You are such a drama queen."

She almost stopped the words before they came from her mouth, but it was like word vomit. He stood up quick as lightening and backhanded her across the face before sitting back down and trying to compose himself. Her cheek burned and she fought back the urge to cry out. She could feel the lump in her throat. How had everything gotten to this point? What happened to him?

"You know," He stretched his legs out, blank expression on his face. "Bruce always told me not to hit a woman."

She blinked a few times, still fighting back tears.

"Are you even considered a woman?" He asked, almost genuinely, "I suppose so, they have genders, even in the Shadow Realm."

He watched her face, trying to see if she would betray anything.

"Yeah," He paused, cocking his head to the side, "I know all about you know. Crazy, the things you learn when you die and come back."

She pressed her lips together firmly, this didn't change anything. Bringing up her sore past didn't change who she was now.

"I understand why you fought hard to keep this place safe," He paused, flicking the ash from his cigarette, "That doesn't make up for the crimes you've committed."

She could tell he was starting to get angry, seemingly talking to himself, not wanting her input. Maybe that's why he captured her. He needed someone to make sense of all the thoughts in his head. None of it made sense the way it used too. He used to think he was a good person. He used to think that by doing good, he would somehow be given a good life, a secure future. Now, he wasn't so sure what the point of it was anymore. He had been taught to hit and maim, so that's what he would do.

"You know," He took another long drag, "You forget to mention, _conveniently_ , to everyone here that you are a wanted criminal. Maybe you thought you'd changed, become a better person. Fat load of shit that is."

She shook her head violently, "You know nothing about me."

His eyes widened, almost surprised she chose to speak again, risking another backhand to the jaw. His mind was fuzzy, it wasn't making sense. Who was she? Why would she try to defend herself? Her actions were inexcusable. He leaned back again, on his left hand. "You know, at first I tried to defend you. Oh, you were a kid! You were just doing what daddy said!"

Seemed like the same excuse Jason had been using all these years, but he didn't see the irony in that now. He continued, "But then I realized, you weren't forced into it. You chose to help him. You chose to do his dirty work. In fact, he just called the shots, you were the one with the real blood on your hands."

She didn't want to remember. She wanted to go back, to those first few nights in the cave, with Jason bringing her sandwiches and playing with the wisps. Everything felt so simple, back then. Back before any of this happened.

"So, imagine my surprise," He continued, "To hear from Ra's, that you were sent here by accident. You are so lucky I didn't let them know where you were."

She blinked, why would he help her? Why wouldn't he just turn her in? If the goal was to kill everyone, why keep her secret? She cocked her head to the side, watching him. His eyes darted to the left and then back quickly. The cigarette in his hand was shaking.

"Why didn't you?" She asked cutting through the silence. He looked over, surprised. He had actually forgotten she was even there for a minute. He couldn't remember, why was she here? He licked his lips, trying to remember.

"I don't know," He shrugged it off, "You probably did something to my mind, make everything all foggy."

"I'm not psychic," She said, almost too quickly. Jason blinked a few times before remembering that she wasn't. He looked back down to the cigarette, fearing he had already given too much away. E paused, "Jason, let me help you."

He laughed loudly, "Help me? Why would I need help from someone like you?"

He was deflecting, she tried not to take it personally. She paused, wondering how far she could go without warranting another slap, "I see you are in pain."

His eyes widened in fury, "You don't know shit."

She started shaking her head, "Jason, please."

He got up quickly and jumped down the landing. She heard his boots land with a loud thud on the concrete. She heard him stumble lightly, before slamming the door of the warehouse behind. She sighed in relief and relaxed backward into the wall. If she wanted to, she could have left. She could have escaped the restraints and left. She could have found Dick, made sure everyone was all right. She could get the whole team working on this.

But she didn't.


	19. Chapter 18

It was the middle of the night when E awoke with a start to hear Jason climbing back up the ladder. He shot her a look, seeing her curled up in the corner. He kept walking back to the bed and dropped face first down on. He ignored her, and she didn't dare speak up. After a while, she pretended to be asleep while he showered and sat back down on the bed. He looked over to her again, more of a longing look. He didn't know where he was, why any of this was happening. Some days he thought he would have been better off if he had stayed dead.

Several hours later, she awoke again with a start. She jumped to her feet, hearing screams. Her arms were still tied together, and she could hardly see in the dark. She ejected a wisp into the air to see if Jason was alright. She could see him trembling in his sleep, and his brows were knotted together in frustration. Maybe he was having a nightmare?

Suddenly, he reached under the pillow under his head a pulled out a large knife and lunged directly at her. The wisp bounced around for a moment and all she saw was Jason flying towards her. He landed on top of her waist, knocking her flat on her back on the floor, and pointed the knife directly down on her chest.

"JASON!" She screamed up at him, thrashing her arms wildly. His eyes were crazed, he looked like he was in a trance.

He blinked a few times before sitting back on his knees. She started shaking, holding her hands to cover her mouth.

"I.." He paused, looking around him. Where was he? "I'm sorry."

He seemed scared for a minute, almost childlike. She lifted her arms as he dropped the knife to her side. She wanted to touch him, to comfort him. He shook his head angrily before picking up the knife and slicing through the ropes around her wrist. He stood up, not giving her a second glance.

"Get out," He said, turning back around. E wanted to stay, to talk to him, to get everything back to the way it was before. She waited until he was back in bed before she started to sob quietly, she called the wisp back silently, as it just hovered above her. She picked herself up off the floor and dashed down the ladder and out into the Gotham night.

She didn't stop running until she reached Wayne manor. She tried to compose herself, standing next to a row of bushes next to the mailbox. She ran a hand through her hair as it floated out back behind her. It was the farthest thing from her mind, but she hadn't been wearing her human suit. She couldn't remember when the last time she had it on. She didn't know who she was now. She almost always wore it.

She took a minute to catch her breath before turning herself back into her civilian dress. As her skin changed color, even underneath the dark melanin pigment, she could see black and blue bruises to form on her wrists. She fought back tears, what had happened?

She walked up the driveway, letting her hair down, hoping it would cover her face, hiding the fact that she had been crying. She saw a few lights on upstairs and almost thought about not ringing until morning. She pressed her lips together into a straight line and marched up to the porch. Alfred opened the door immediately.

"Oh! Hello Miss.." He stammered, looking at her. He couldn't remember her name, "E? Was it not? That's what you are going with?"

She arched an eyebrow, she didn't have time for niceties, "I need to see Bruce, or Tim, or Dick. Or anyone, you are all in danger."

Alfred nodded and turned around, leading her down into the Bat-cave. She couldn't remember the last time she had been inside the Manor. She had gone with Dick years ago, to clean out Jason's room. The thought broke her heart. She could hear voices as she descended the stairs to the bottom landing.

She saw Dick and Bruce standing together in front of the computer, muttering together. When Dick spotted her, his eyes widened and he practically enveloped her into his arms. He let out a sign of relief, seeing E okay, alive.

She pulled away, looking up at him quizzically, "Jason said…you are not hurt?"

"What?" He blinked a few times, blank expression on his face, "What are you talking about? Where have you been?"

She paused, shooting Bruce an eye. He looked just as confused, "Jason said…he said he left you almost dead."

"Jason?" Dick's face twisted into a composed pain. A mask he had perfected over the years. He couldn't hide the obvious pain, she could see it behind his eyes. She paused, "You don't know."

She looked to Bruce again, he walked over to Nightwing and put a hand on his shoulder. He knew, somehow. She bit the inside of her lip, "I've been with Jason."

"E," Bruce stepped in front of the confused Dick. "Where is he?"

It wasn't really a question, more of a command. _Where is he._ She looked to Dick, almost mentally pleading with him. She didn't want to give him this pain.

"He said," Her voice cracked, "Talia brought him back. He said he was coming after all of you."

Bruce's face gave nothing away. He was already in Batman Mode. Dick was slower though, he stepped in front of Bruce again, putting his hands in hers and bringing them up to his chest. "E. Tell me what happened."

She couldn't stop herself, she started to cry. She started violently sobbing at the sight of the bruises on her wrist again. She didn't even want to know what her face looked like. Probably not pretty, Jason got in a good backhand. Bruce looked down at her hands and noticed the bruises before Dick did. He turned around angrily and walked over to the Batmobile. He really just didn't want to explode in front of the two of them. He grabbed an instant cold pack and a box of tissues over.

Dick finally looked down at her hands, all covered in black and blue marks from the bindings. He took in a sharp breath. He sat her down on the last step of the stairs as she cried, letting everything out. She hadn't cried since he died, in the beginning. It made her feel weak. Bruce walked back holding the supplies. They both crouched down in front of her as she tried to compose herself, but it was no use. Once the waterworks started, they were hard to turn off.

"He," She looked up into Dick's eyes, "He is the Red Hood. From the other night."

"He took you?" Nightwing asked incredulously, "Why?"

"I don't know," She shook her head and hiccupped. Bats handed her another tissue. It was getting gross now. "He's not all there…He said a lot of weird things. He thinks we replaced him. There is something wrong with him, we have to do something."

Dick chewed on the inside of his cheek before looking over to Bats, who had a very composed look on his face.

"He's still in there, I know it." E said, not totally sure she believed it though. "He needs help."

Batman turned back around and cast his gaze on the memorial in the center of the room. Inside was Jason's old Robin costume. Batman had the same thought Jason had, maybe he would have been better if he stayed dead. Would he have to apprehend his own son now? He would get Jason back just to lose him again?

Dick said nothing, still crouching in front of E. He looked into her eyes, hoping for more information, anything. He wanted to go hear his brother was still there, somewhere. He wanted something to be good.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs quickly and broke out of their trance. Alfred made his way downstairs to where E was sitting before taking a breath and holding his hand against the wall, for balance.

"Master Tim," He paused, catching his breath. "Is gone. He's not in his room."

Dick shot Bruce an angry look. Bruce cast his gaze on E.

"Take me to my son," he commanded.


	20. Chapter 19

**AN: Okay so, update. I have been cranking this thing out. I got inspired because, you know, season three has finally been teased. Boy, that was a long hiatus amirite? Sorry, so, YJ was taked off netflix so most of this is from memory. I'm a little worried about getting Tim's character right. So, Imma try to hold off until I think I can nail it. Thanks for patience!**

* * *

The three of them cramped into the Batmobile and E had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn't want to see Jason again. She didn't want to go back to that damn warehouse again. She was terrified of what they would find. As they approached the warehouse, she tried her best to put her game face on and do as she was trained. Nightwing sat next to her, white knuckling his escrima sticks. She couldn't begin to imagine what was going through his head at that moment.

She looked around and Batman parked the car in a nearby ally. She was halfway hoping she wouldn't remember the directions, but one look around, and it was clear she had.

She stood behind Batman as they pried open the doors of the warehouse to find…nothing. Absolutely nothing. Dick was rejoicing, hoping that E had lost her mind, this was all just a joke. Jason was still in his grave, where he belonged. At least, Dick wanted to believe he was.

As the lights flickered on, she led them up the ladder to where she had been kept. The bed was still there, made up perfectly as always. There was an empty box of cigarettes on the floor and a tangle of rope on the floor, where she had been sleeping the night before. Nightwing put his hand on her shoulder before Batman broke the silence from the ground floor.

"You should come down here," As they made their way back over to him, she noticed a few things that she hadn't seen before. She really had only seen the upstairs of the warehouse, and she didn't get a good look before she ran off. Batman was crouching on the floor, next to a pool of what looked like blood. She walked over to the far wall, seeing things hanging up.

"Can you analyze it?" Nightwing asked the Bat quickly. It could have been from Tim or Jason really. E put her hand to her mouth as she looked over the newspaper clippings.

It looked like Jason had been trying to piece everything together. All the clippings were hung up in a linear model, on one side was a clipping from his father's sentencing hearing and another from his mother's obituary. Beside them, was a photo of him and Batman, caught by some lucky journalist. E reached her hand up to the photo, Jason was smiling. It was that cute, lopsided smile he did. Next to it was a clipping from his own obituary. Then, a blank space that E assumed spanned about four or five years. The next clippings were of the team's recent adventures. There was a photo of Tim in his new Robin suit, as well as Nightwing. She couldn't tell when the photo was taken, or how Jason got it, but Dick looked happy. His hair was shaggy (she remembered because right after Jason died he wouldn't cut his hair for almost four months), and he was laughing at something someone had said off camera. She looked back to Tim's photo. It looked like a school photo, taken from a yearbook. Tim's face had been circled with a red marker over and over. Another clipping, second to last, was a photo of a different person, wearing a similar red helmet. The article mentioned another villain donning the helmet almost twenty years prior to Jason, and after being reprehended by Batman, wasn't seen again. The very last photo made her heart drop.

The last photo was one she remembered clearly. It was the photo of the woman he had named 'Caroline'. She had dark skin, and a mess of braids piled on the top of her head. She was looking off into the distance while tucking a braid behind one of her ears, with the same mustard yellow nail polish. E had to physically stop herself from vomiting.

Written over the photo, in red marker, was a large question mark. As if, _who is she_? She stopped listening to whatever had been going on behind her and reached up, tearing the picture from the wall. Jason wasn't the only one who had changed in all this time. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. When she looked in the mirror, was she this person? Was she the person Jason had wanted her to be? Was she the person _she_ wanted to be? The picture dropped from her hand as she let out an angry cry and drove her fist into the wall as hard as she could.

"Woa, uhh," Nightwing's voice cut through her own inner turmoil. "Are you okay? What is that?"

She turned, forgetting there were other people here with her. Batman had one eyebrow raised, as if he couldn't be bothered to deal with whatever she had going on. E turned back to the photos and left the one of her on the ground. She was greeted by a brand-new crater next to Jason's obit. She pulled the photo of Tim off the wall and ignored Nightwing, walking back to Batman.

"Where ever Tim is," She said, coldly, "He won't stay alive for long."

She handed the photo to Bruce. He looked at it, with Tim's face circled in red marker. It had been circled over and over again, as if Jason would forget if he didn't circle a million times. It was impossible to see what Bruce was feeling. It was mainly impossible to Bruce himself to deal with what he was feeling. He was good at cutting emotions out of the equation, if need be. He learned that, after Jason.

"Master Bruce," Alfred commed over the radio, "The blood is a match with Master Tim."

Batman didn't mean to, but he crumbled up the photo in his hand when he heard that. Nightwing put a hand to his ear, hoping if Alfred was clearer, he would say something different. He walked back over to E and Batman.

"This is sick," He said, shaking his head. "Seriously messed up. What are we supposed to do?"

"The sun is rising," E said, looking at the light peering in from the slats in the door. Bruce looked up.

"We need to re-convene. We need to set out a plan, and start somewhere. We will burn out if we keep searching in random places." He turned, crumpled photo still in hand. "Rendezvous in the cave, one hour."

He walked out, leaving the two of them inside, to figure out their next move. E climbed back up the ladder and surveyed around the room. Dick joined her. He looked at the made bed, E hadn't thought much of it, but Dick did the same thing every day.

Dick wanted desperately for E to leave. He felt pathetic enough. Now he had failed to protect _two_ brothers. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and just _smell_ Jason again. She had the opposite approach. She started tearing everything apart. She started with the nightstand, where he had pulled cigarettes from the first night. She found a nondescript white lighter, and a few bullets.

Frustrated, she moved onto the bed, first checking underneath it, and then pulling the covers off and searching in the sheets. Dick watched her get more and more frantic. Finally, she threw the pillow across the room, revealing nothing. Dick didn't understand the significance of it, but she knew what it meant. The knife was gone. He wasn't coming back.


	21. Chapter 20

When Nightwing and E made it back to the cave, Batman was already there. He was focused on the Bat-computer and hardly noticed the two of them walking downstairs. His cowl was sitting in his lap, patiently waiting.

"Did you find anything?" Nightwing asked, bounding over to him. E stood back, hesitating. He ignored Dick and turned to her.

"The wisps you use," He said, "How far can they explore without you?"

She paused, "A few blocks at most."

He nodded, "I have a map drawn up. I'm going to assume he is still in Gotham, but the Watchtower and the League have been notified and are keeping an eye out for him."

He looked to Nightwing, "You take uptown, by the major tourist and busy spots. Skyscrapers, train stations, anything that could be a target."

Nightwing nodded at Batman looked over to E, "I need you on the warehouse district. Most likely, he'll be setting up a base down there. But if you see him, _do not engage_. Comm us, we will be there."

He gave her a lingering look, emphasizing the ' _do not engage_ ' part. Yea right, because that's what they would do. Just wait for backup. Bullshit.

He looked back to the computer, pointing. "I have Midtown, Wayne Enterprises, the monorail system, and Arkham."

Batman paused, "There is one more thing."

Nightwing put his hands on his hip, Bruce put a hand to his temple and knotted his brows together.

"I have eyes in Arkham," He paused, "Rumors are saying the Joker is not in his cell. It could be nothing, but it could be true. The commissioner usually waits to tell the public, he doesn't want to cause a panic."

"Spectacular," Nightwing rolled his eyes, "So now we have to save the murderer from the murdered."

Bruce turned back to the computer, before shaking his head slightly. He was probably wondering he same thing. Why not just let Jason kill him? Why uphold this rigid moral code? At least, that's what E was thinking.

"Nightwing, go on ahead. I need to talk to E, alone." Batman said, turning back to the two of them. Nightwing shot E a look, and she shrugged. He walked back up the stairs, hoping to eavesdrop, but Batman waited until he heard the door lock behind him.

E said nothing, her adrenaline pumping.

"I know Jason has information on your past," He paused, unsure how to word what he was trying to say, "Don't let it intimidate you. He will try to use it, to say you don't belong here. Don't believe him."

She stayed silent, wondering how Batman knew all this. Truthfully, she didn't much take his words to heart. Quite literally, she didn't belong here. Jason was right. Bruce could see the hesitation in her eyes.

"We have known for a while about your past, and your fathers…" He paused, " _Associations._ But League has watched you while you have been here. You have demonstrated great skill and loyalty, you are not a threat."

She nodded, "How did you know?"

He put his thumbs to his temples, massaging them gently. For a moment, she could see him as he was, the tired father trying to keep his family safe. She wondered when the last time he has gotten a good night's sleep. Probably never.

"The Lantern Corps told everyone when you were placed with the team."

She shook her head, "No, not that. About Jason. You didn't seem surprised when I told you."

He hesitated, taking in a deep breath, "I had my suspicions."

She didn't move, he would have to elaborate more on that.

"I spotted a figure on my patrols, like you, he was just hovering right out of my vision. He just watched. At first, I thought it was a new rogue, but more pieces started falling together." Bruce paused, "Plus, one of the gardeners told me they filled in a pretty massive hole, near his gravesite."

Yeah, that would just about do it. She nodded, "Do you know what he wants?"

"I'm assuming he wants some sort of retaliation, but I am not sure."

"I don't think he is sure either," Batman gave her a quizzical look as she spoke up. "He seems, different. He didn't seem to notice I was there, most of the time. He just talked out loud, he didn't seem like he understood what was happening. He hit me, and that's never something he would do. I think there is something wrong, unhinged."

Batman nodded, "We don't have the tools to deal with that kind of…" He paused, "Mental rehabilitation."

She paused, blinking a few times.

"You can't be serious," Her voice grew louder, angrier, " _That_ is your plan? Really? He already thinks we abandoned him, you think this will help that?"

Bruce bit the inside of his lip, "It's the truth. Arkham has the tools on hand to deal with this kind of thing. Blackgate…other prisons just don't."

"Or you could, I don't know, _not_ send him to prison?" He snapped, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't care who Batman was or how intimidating he appeared, this was just cruel. Shipping his own son off to Arkham. He could at least try.

Batman clenched his jaw, "Do you have a better idea? It's not like he's going to want to live here again. It's not like he has done a whole lot to mend this family."

She couldn't help herself, "You are his _father_ , you are supposed to try."

"I did try," He tried to avoid raising his voice, "I raised that boy, I taught him, I trained him. If this is what he is going to do with that, that is his decision. Arkham is the best place equipped to deal with this."

He stood up and tugged his cowl back on while walking over to the Batmobile. "You are not part of this family. I will take care of this how Isee fit."


	22. Chapter 21

She started her patrol the usual way, up on the rooftops. She knew Batman was right, she didn't have a better idea of what to do with Jason. She was partly hoping that he had just dropped Tim somewhere and zeta-d off world. She was torn, she wanted to help, but had no idea how.

She crouched down on the rooftop of the old bank, overlooking the harbor. The warehouse district was really just an old shantytown, once used for its port. Now, more for nefarious drug deals and Gotham gang meet-ups. The GCPD would roll through every now and then, but it was mostly an unspoken understanding that Batman would clean it up as the cops were scared to come down here. She ejected a wisp into the night sky, and it tumbled in the air for a moment before zooming down to explore the streets below. She had absolutely no idea what she was looking for. She doubted she would just find the two of them hanging out, and Tim had been missing now for at least six hours. If Jason was smart, he would have done the dirty work and gone somewhere else. But Jason was a protégée of Batman, at that meant he liked the theatrics.

The wisp hovered back up to her, having found nothing exciting down below. She jumped over to the next rooftop and kept going. By the time she reached the shoreline, it was almost dawn. She didn't much care for looking like her true self out here in the daylight. But the warehouse district was at its most active at night. She commed an update to Nightwing, who was having no luck either. She rested above the warehouse closest to the shoreline, listening to the waves. She felt defeated, she had no idea what she was doing anymore.

By the time the sun had mostly risen, E was sitting on the same rooftop, thinking of her last morning with Robin, back before all of this happened. She couldn't remember where that roof had been, and over the years she had tried to go back there. Feeling nostalgic, she made her way south, past the bay. When she had first met Robin, she was thrown into the very southernmost end of Gotham's warehouse district. The attention had interested her to the warehouse where he had been hiding on patrol that night. When she reached that familiar spot, she crouched down, placing her hand to the rooftop, where it all had begun. She could hardly remember it now. She was so raw back then, so scared. She took a breath before she jumped down through the window on the top floor. The wisp followed her, seemingly uninterested.

She heard a commotion and stuck to the shadows by the wall before sending to wisp to investigate in silence. She could hear voices, and a small light from down on the bottom floor. She looked over the railing, letting her hair float out around her. Just that movement felt so familiar, she felt a twinge of nostalgia. The sound of a gunshot fired out and she pushed herself flat back against the wall. Looking through the wisp, she could see the heat signatures from three people down below. She called the wisp back, knowing if it was Jason, it would give her position away.

Another loud noise, almost like metal hitting concrete, cut through the air. She bit the inside of her lip before silently floating around the perimeter of the building. Another loud clang rang out. She stopped on the rear side, with the figures coming into view. She could see Robin, tied to a chair on the far side, alone. He was unconscious, with his head flopped over to one side. She could see bleeding, but only on his thigh, so that seemed like a good sign. Jason had probably shot him and the pain had knocked him out. Or he was pretending.

She jumped down to the bottom floor. In between Tim and the other two figures. Turned out, she didn't need to worry. Directly across from her was Jason, again wearing the red hood. And on the floor at his feet, lay the Joker. The Joker started laughing for a spell when he saw her, and Jason turned around, his eyes blazing.

"Why are you back?" He yelled over to her. He squinted his eyes, as if confused. She was distracting him.

"Did you think Batman would just let you kidnap Robin?" She asked, genuinely wondering what his thought process was for all this. It was at that moment, she realized she had forgotten to comm Batman as she was told. _Do not engage._

Jason shot her a look, before turning back to the Joker, bloody crowbar in hand. He slammed it down once more, eliciting another painful yelp from the Joker who immediately after started laughing again, which seemed to just piss Jason off more. E's main concern was Tim. She turned to him and tried to feel for a pulse. She couldn't see much blood, he looked like he was just unconscious. She took a sigh of relief before turning back to Jason. She walked to his side before placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned again over to her, almost forgetting she was there.

"I'm not here to stop you," She paused, keeping a hold on his shoulder, "I should. But I'm not."

He blinked a few times, not understanding. His mind was cloudy. It was clear just minutes before, whacking away at the Joker. But now, he didn't understand. He held the crowbar with a death grip, but didn't make another move at the Joker.

"If you want," She spoke slowly, "I can end this right now."

Jason blinked a few times again, before looking at the Joker, "You had the chance to avenge me. You did nothing."

She nodded, "Then you will, and after I will get you somewhere safe."

He shot her a look, everything was cloudy.

"Batman has a cell all ready for you at Arkham, and I won't let that happen," She wasn't sure what her game plan was. Did she honestly think she could help rehabilitate him, by herself?

Jason pursed his lips together under the hood. He shrugged her arm off and went back to beating the Joker. She hovered there, just out of sight, watching. After the Joker fell unconscious, Jason lost some of his vigor. He tossed the crowbar from one hand to the other, circling like a vulture. Eventually, he let the crowbar fall from his grasp and it landed on the floor with a clatter. He looked to her, tired.

She hovered there, not making a noise. He eventually turned to look at Tim, still unconscious.

"You condone me slitting the pretender's throat?" He asked her, pulling the same knife from his belt.

"I condone you ending the Joker," She said coldly, "Tim did nothing wrong."

Jason stayed silent, he didn't capture Tim just for the sake of murdering him. He had captured him for the sake of murdering him _in front of Bruce_. The Joker was just the appetizer. E floated to him again and resisted the urge to put a hand on his shoulder again.

"I should kill you here and now," He said, tossing the knife to his other hand, looking at her.

She made no move to protect herself, "I am the only one on your side right now."

He hesitated, he needed her. He needed to manipulate her feelings to get him somewhere safe. But he didn't know if that was something he could manage on doing right now. He wasn't sure what his game plan was either.

"You asked me if I would murder for you," She paused, "And I will. But I will not murder those who are good."

"Will you main those who are good?" He asked, smirking under the mask.

"If you want me to," She answered, hoping her face betrayed no emotion. He tossed the knife to her, and she caught it awkwardly. She wasn't trained with knives. He nodded to Tim. She floated over to Tim, standing above him. She pulled his face up and brushed a piece of hair out of his face. He reminded her of Jason. He was a good person, he didn't deserve this. She paused, knowing what she needed to do but not wanting to do it.

Finally, she knelt down and focused on his face, almost like a canvas. She carved over beside his eyes, almost to the temple, just one little letter. It bled slightly, she tried not to press to deep. When she got up to admire her work, Jason stepped behind her, hands on his hips. Next to Tim's brow, was the letter 'E' carved into his skin. It bled slightly and E felt like she was going to vomit.

She tossed the knife back to Jason and turned her back to Tim, she couldn't look. Jason was surprised, he didn't actually think she would do it. He looked over to the Joker, lying, bleeding on the concrete.

"End him," He said, looking back to her. He held the knife outstretched in his hand to her, but she shook her head. She didn't need it. She put one hand out, the feeling felt so familiar, and focused on the feeling of his heartbeat. It was slow at first, but as she pulled, she could feel it grow faster. She clenched her hand to a fist and heard the crunch of the Joker's ribs. A moment later, his heart ripped from his chest, leaving a gaping bloody hole in its' wake. She turned, presenting it to Jason.

It hung there, suspended.


	23. Chapter 22

E buried her face in her hands and knelt to the floor. What had she done? Jason stood next to her, not speaking. He could sense her change of heart. He didn't have anything to ease the guilt. After a few moments, he looked back up. He surveyed the room. Tim was still unconscious, the Joker was still dead.

"We should probably get out of here," He muttered. She nodded, standing back up. "Have any idea where to go?"

She blinked a few times, she hadn't thought of the future, she hadn't really thought this all out at all. "We need to go somewhere for now, think of a plan."

He nodded. Even though he didn't want to admit it, they worked well as a team, and he desperately needed someone to help keep him grounded. He had missed her. He hadn't suddenly decided he was ready to trust her yet. But she avenged him, she was on his side. There was no way she wouldn't be loyal to him, after all he _made_ her.

"To the rooftops," He said, looking back to Tim's bleeding face. E shot him a look. She walked back to Tim before pulling the phone from his pocket. She sent a simple text to Nightwing. It read: _Jason would have killed him had I not been here. Count this as a good deed._ She sent their location along with it.

She snapped the phone shut and tossed it on Tim's lap. Nightwing would be here soon, probably with the Batman. She didn't particularly want to see their reaction upon getting here. She shot Jason a look before jumping back up to the second floor and out the window she came in. He followed her back out on to the top of the roof. He led her down the dock and farther away from the warehouse. They didn't speak as they ran, seemingly still trying to wrap their minds around what had just happened. By the time they had gotten to the city, the sun was fully up. Jason pulled her up to the rooftops above the city and stopped at a familiar rooftop. E stopped behind him, nagging sense of familiarity about it all.

"This is the roof you took me to," She paused, "The night before you left."

She had been trying to find this spot for ages, and he had brought her back with total ease. She shook her head, wishing they could just go back to that night. She just wanted to relive it all over again, she would have done it all so differently. How had this all happened?

"We can rest here," He said, sitting down on the edge of the roof. He looked so different now. He was taller and more muscular. He was still lean and skinny, but there was a darkness now, and it overcame him. She sat down next to him, dangling her legs over the side of the roof.

She couldn't think of anything to say, she had so many things she wanted to ask him, so many things she wanted to tell him, but no words came out. She watched the city spring to life below her. People with large cups of coffee walked the streets now, and their warm breath curled up in the air like smoke. None of them looked up, they had no idea they were being watched from above.

"I need to get out of here," He paused, pulling the red hood off and setting it down on the gravel behind them. For a moment, it felt like they were back. She could remember having this same conversation here years ago. About how he was going to get out, start a life and be free from the shadow of Batman. He ran a hand through his greasy hair.

"Me too," She paused, "I'm probably a wanted criminal now."

"I mean," He paused, "You are kind of a wanted criminal everywhere _except here_. So that's fitting."

She looked over at him, and he cracked one of those half smile-smirk things he did. Before she could stop herself, she cracked up laughing. There was something so funny about all of it. All this time she had wanted Jason back, who knew all she had to do was pull the Joker's heart out? He joined her, big grin over his face. They laughed even louder until she was able to catch her breath. It really wasn't funny, but for some reason, it seemed the perfect thing to do.

"This city hasn't changed at all," She smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek, "Seriously you missed nothing."

"I missed Wally dying," He smiled, "I'll have to give him a call if he ever comes back."

"You can be the official tutor to helping people come back from the dead. Free consults to anyone wearing a mask." She smiled and he chuckled again.

They were silent for a few minutes again before she spoke again, "You missed what, like _three_ alien invasions."

His eyes widened, "Wow, impressive. I guess I was the one they were all afraid of. The minute I'm gone Earth is attacked. Pretty telling."

She smiled, looking back out over the street. It was getting busier and more people walked into the building beneath them. Cars pulled up, carting important people and dropping them off at the door.

"How is," He paused, "Everyone?"

"Artemis is grieving," She suddenly remembered she was supposed to meet Artemis at the cemetery. "Kaldur was a double agent for a while. M'gann and Conner broke up. We added a whole bunch of new people to the team. We finally found Speedy."

"Wow," He looked back out over the sunrise, "He was still alive?"

"Luthor had him on ice. He's around, just missing an appendage." Jason shot her a look, probably wondering which appendage. She paused, "Actually, he's having a tough time adjusting. Kind of an outlaw right now."

"Like me?" He asked, wheels in his head turning.

"Yeah, exactly like us," She was probably an outlaw now, too. "We should find him."

She looked over to him, eyes wide, thinking of the opportunities.

"Jason!" She exclaimed, he looked to her with one eyebrow raised, "We should find Roy! Maybe he can help you!"

He squinted, "Help me?"

"He can help us," She backtracked, "Figure out what to do next."

Jason shrugged, looking back out over the city. He said nothing.

"Come on," She nudged him, "We can do this. We can fix this city. We can do things our way, the _right way_."

He squinted, looking out over the sunrise, he had a lot of feelings. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked the idea of having his own group of people. Being alone was fun, but he needed people, to keep him sane. He didn't like the idea of having a babysitter, but the idea of a renegade bundle of friends, well that sounded nice.

"Do you know where he is?" He asked after a moment, turning back to her.

"Last I heard, he was heading to Metropolis," She answered, "He didn't want to join the team, I think he has some resentment…for no one finding him."

She realized it as she said it, how much his story was similar to Jason's. Roy clearly had some lingering trauma after his abduction, and Jason was basically the poster child for trauma at this point.

"I get it," He looked back out again, obscuring his face from view. "You come back and suddenly everyone is gone, moved on."

She said nothing. What was she supposed to say? She wanted to defend herself, she hadn't moved on, she had coped. She wanted to tell him when someone you love dies that is just what you do. You don't ever get over it. But the world doesn't stop for you to be okay with it, it just keeps moving and you have to hold on. She rested her hand on top of his and looked back out over the morning sun.


	24. Chapter 23

The two of them had hightailed it out of Gotham pretty soon after that. Jason didn't have much of an idea where he wanted to set up long-term shop, but he knew he wanted to be away from Batman. E thought of Bludhaven and since it was so similar to Gotham, it wouldn't be a big change, but at least far enough from Bats. She told herself that they wouldn't be patrolling anywhere anyone could spot them, that it was just a temporary set up. Besides, Nightwing was probably going to be sticking with Tim and Bruce for a little while.

They rented a warehouse with a loft. The initial first level was basically their new Batcave. A few bikes, a desk, and lots of random weapons on the floor. Above, the loft was just a few bedrooms and a big common space. E bought a crappy TV and set it up on the far wall constantly playing the news. She had done that when she had lived with Dick too. It made her feel, less alone. Out of the corner of her eye she always knew what was going on, where she was needed. Jason didn't seem to mind either. She had a theory that he had too much going on in his brain, and if he could focus that energy somewhere else, maybe he wouldn't feel quite so conflicted all the time.

Roy couldn't have gotten there fast enough. Once he heard that Jason was back, he had to see it. E knew somewhere that he too knew Jason would be good for him. Both of them were pretty strung out, it would be healthy to see a familiar face. Maybe sticking two traumatized people together would balance itself out.

So, when he showed up unannounced a week later seven am, it wasn't really a surprise. E opened the door in her pajamas and raised one eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, confused.

"You told me to drop by," He said, confused as well, "Should I not have dropped by?"

"No, no. Sorry, come on in." She opened up the big garage type door next to them, "Bring the bike inside."

He whistled as he walked the bike inside and parked it next to the wall. "This place looks like crap, you know that right?"

"Thanks. We are still trying to decorate," She said, shaking her head. She led him up the ladder into the loft. Jason was standing next to the kitchen counter with a pair of sweats on and a tank top. "We should all go to IKEA today and commit to actually buying furniture."

The kitchen table and a couple of folding chairs was all they had time to get. The two of them basically slept on old mattresses on the floor in each of their bedrooms. She knew it looked like crap, but hey, they weren't planning on throwing a fancy dinner anytime soon. Besides, that just made it easier to pick up and move in a hurry later if need be.

"Hey Roy!" Jason walked over, big smile over his face. His scars were slightly visible on his collarbones and shoulders under the tank top. If Roy noticed, at least he had the good graces not to mention it. "Heard you're a member of the 'back to life' club."

"That's a really good name for it, even though I didn't die," They clapped their hands together and pulled each other in for a quick hug.

"Would you like to? I promise I'll make it quick." E laughed when Jason spoke, she was getting used to his dark humor. Roy liked it too, he smiled ear to ear.

"How long has it been, Jaybird?" Roy commented, walking with Jason over to the coffee maker.

"Last time I saw you, I think you were still training with Ollie. I was with Bat's I think. You guys came over to spar," Jason said, pouring a mug. E leaned against the wall, smiling. She had finally done something right. If Jason wouldn't open up to her, maybe he would open up to Roy.

"Oh yeah," Roy smiled as Jason slid the cup across the kitchen counter to where Roy stood, "I remember that. You had a huge crush on her."

Roy pointed to E with his thumb and she could feel her face get bright red. Jason turned around, putting sugar and creamer into his own mug next to the coffee maker.

"I have that effect on Batboys," E smiled, rolling her eyes. Jason laughed. He still wasn't over the fact that she had slept with Nightwing, but they bounced these jokes off each other. It was a lot easier to laugh about bad situations rather than mope over them. He turned back around and leaned on the table.

"Have you heard any news from the clone?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. Roy's eyes darkened.

"He's probably back with his wife. I haven't heard much since the end of the Reach-o-pocalypse," Roy muttered, putting the mug up to his mouth. No one could ignore the sour tone his voice took.

"I feel it, man." Jason said, referring to Tim. "If you want, I can send E over here to go carve his face."

"Okay, _first of all_ ," She rolled her eyes, "Tim isn't a clone of you, he's just a regular kid. He didn't do it to replace you."

Jason rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee before pulling out a cigarette from the open box on the counter. She continued, " _Second of all_ , I agreed to be your _partner_. Not your hired assassin."

The room stayed silent and the only thing you could hear was Jason flicking his lighter open and breathing in the smoke. Roy outstretched his hand before Jason threw the box to him. He pulled one out and packed it lightly. He turned back to her, "Don't assassins have to kill people in order to be assassins?"

He lit the cigarette quickly before tossing the box back to Jason. He took a long drag before looking back to Jason across the countertop, "And now that the Joker is dead as a doornail, I can't imagine you have a lot of vengeance to get out. Must have sucked to have someone else beat you to it."

"I can kill Luthor for you if you want." Jason smiled, leaning on his elbows on the counter, "It'll be for the both of us. Besides, I was right there when she killed him."

Roy's eyes got wide before looking directly at E, "You did that? Wow, that's impressive. I heard about it on GBS, figured it was some new guy trying to make his mark."

She shrugged, not sure if she should take it as a compliment. Truth is, just the memory turned her stomach. She didn't know if she wanted to kill anyone again. It had seemed so much easier when she was on her planet with her family. It was practically a rite of passage with the family she had. The rules had always been fuzzy here, and she didn't understand why some of these heroes had such a rigid moral code. Then again, the thought of it did still make her queasy. Maybe she had adapted and lost too much of herself. Was killing an innate instinct she had?

"Oh you should have seen it," Jason bragged. She remembered hearing him brag about her before, when she saved Nightwing's life on a mission with the team. "She was a total badass. Just like that one scene in that Indiana Jones movie."

Jason outstretched his arm, pretending to psychically pull out Roy's heart, just like in the movie. He took another sip of his coffee and shot E another smirk.

"So what, now you need help from me for defeating all your alien friends?" Roy asked her. She raised an eyebrow.

"What alien friends?" She asked, walking over to the coffee pot, seeming uninterested.

"You know, those guys that showed up here a few days ago. It's been all over the League circuits." He took another sip before turning his gaze back to Jason. "You know, I figured you'd be more of the running type. They don't seem very friendly. Not people you want to hang around and play cards with."

She looked back to Roy, coffee pot in hand, "What are you talking about? Who showed up?"

"A bunch of people calling themselves 'Shadow Creatures'. They said they were looking to rectify some mistake, if I remember correctly," Roy answered, casting the both of them lingering looks. "They said something about your dad being alive? You seem to attract the undead somehow."

The coffee pot fell to the ground and shattered on impact.


	25. Chapter 24

"What did you just say?" Jason kept his eyes on E, worried expression on his face. No one made a move to clean the coffee and broken glass all over the floor. "Roy. What did you just say?"

"Woah man," Roy paused, watching Jason's face for clues. E stayed expressionless. He fumbled around in his pocket before bringing out the communicator from his pocket. "Arsenal to the Justice League. Repeat transmission from the new invaders the Lantern's picked up."

Nightwing's voice cut through the silence, "Roger that. Here it is. _Incoming transmission from the Green Lantern Corps. Radio broadcast picked up these two in Star City over the weekend. Mentioned looking for a wisp-conjurer. Language unknown. We have them in holding beneath the Hall of Justice. We have not given them any information about E, waiting on Batman to give us the go ahead. The Lantern's do not condone executions or extradite. Given the recent turn of events, we are looking to find the former teammate going by E. Do not engage, suspect is hostile and dangerous. If found, please turn over to the Green Lantern Corps for questioning. Inter-dimensional beings have information and are willing to offer compensation for capture dead or alive. Transmission ending."_

The room was deadly silent for a moment, wheels turning in E's head. How did they find her? Why now? How could he father possibly be alive? She watched him as he died. This was impossible.

"Does someone want to tell me what is going on?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow to Jason. E blinked, staring unseeing past Roy's head, almost like she was focusing on the flickering television screen.

"I think they are looking for E," Jason said. Well duh they were looking for E, but why? What were they planning on doing to her? "They didn't say anything about her dad."

"Yeah that wasn't in the transmission," Roy said, watching the two of them carefully before getting up and dropping a towel on the floor where the coffee was pooling. He stepped on it, trying to soak up the coffee. Jason put two hands on her shoulders and led her away from the broken glass. She hardly noticed until Roy spoke again. "Nightwing said they were making a big fuss about being held, but were willing to follow the laws in order to get her back."

"So it could be a trap," Her heart fluttered, somewhat happily. Her father was one person she would not enjoy meeting after his death.

"Could be," Roy tossed the damp towel in the sink and crouched down, picking up the larger glass pieces. "All I know is what Nightwing told me. He said Bat's wanted to turn you over, but I think Nightwing is a little more hesitant."

Of course, Bat's wanted to turn her in. She blinked again. With Bat's rigid code, since she was no longer good, she must be bad. She killed, so now she was on the bad side, the _wrong_ side. She was a villain now. No grey area, purely good and bad, black and white. Jason crouched down and swept some of the smaller glass into a paper towel.

"We need a plan," Jason muttered from underneath the counter. E was fairly catatonic still, looking out past the television. "We need to keep her safe."

Roy hesitated, not totally sure what the two of their relationship together was. Why was it their responsibility to protect her? She seemed more than capable of taking out the bad guys on her own.

"Why?" He asked quietly to Jason, under the counter. "Why do we have to protect her?"

Jason paused, looking to Roy with fire in his eyes. He didn't know where the defensiveness was coming from, he just knew what felt right to do. He muttered quietly, "She is loyal when no one else is, I'm not going to abandon her after dragging her into this mess. If it wasn't for me, the entire Justice League would be protecting her. But she chose me, so I'm all she's got."

E started shaking her head, and pulled her hand up covering her mouth. This couldn't be happening, it wasn't possible. She watched her father die in front of her. He was dead as a doornail, no coming back. Jason stood up and dropped the shards into the trash. He looked over to E and ran a hand through his hair.

"E," Jason asked, loudly, "Give me anything. A word, a yawn, maybe a little burp. Just let me know you are still alive over there."

Roy stood up next to Jason and eyed her carefully. The mood had changed so fast.

"The Lanterns aren't going to give them access to just hunt her down on our planet," He paused, looking to Jason again, "At least, they _shouldn't_."

"They don't need permission," She turned around suddenly, game face on. "I need to know who they are. There were a lot of warring factions when I left. My family and I have many enemies and few allies. But the royal guard wouldn't let harm come to us. If any of them survived and are looking for me, they will keep me safe."

Jason and Roy shared a look, it was amazing how much of her life had still yet to be revealed. By now, the Lanterns must know all about her, and what she had done. It probably wouldn't be long until everyone wanted her dead. And now, suddenly, Earth didn't seem so safe anymore.

"Okay," Jason paused, trying to wrap his head around the whole 'royal guard' thing. "So let's just say, hypothetically, they aren't friends. What do they want?"

E paused, "My head on a stick."

"You know, this all would be a lot easier if you told us exactly what was going on here. Who are these people? What is so deep and dark about your past? What is going on with your father?" Roy wanted to ask who she really was, but figured that would be too loaded. Jason nodded, not wanting to agree but knowing he had to.

"E, it has been long enough," He paused, "I tried not to ask at first, because you were making a new life, becoming a new person. But if we are going to figure out a way out of this, we need to know exactly what is going on."

E turned around, shooting Jason a pleading look. She didn't want to talk about it. Jason was all she had left, and if she told him, she would lose him too. Then again, lying would probably ruin any new friendship she had. She sighed, figuring the truth would be the best way out. She didn't want to dive back in, she had been playing this part for so long it had almost become her. She was E now, she wasn't who she used to be. Then again, she did just murder a man, so maybe she hadn't changed all that much anyway. She took a breath.

"It's a long story."

Roy sat down in a folding chair in front of the TV, looking to her expectantly. She would so much rather he not be here. This was something she wanted to relive alone. Jason looked at his watch and then took a seat next to Roy, stretching his legs out in front of him. Her back was up against the wall, metaphorically speaking.

"Go ahead."


	26. Chapter 25

"So, on my planet, or dimension, or whatever you want to call it, things are a lot different. We don't have heroes in capes who fly around saving people. Everyone is mostly stuck with their lot in life. Most of us are trained from a young age to do what will benefit society the most. So, if you are good at building as a child, you become a carpenter. Like that. If you are exceptional at singing, you become an entertainer.

I was good at killing. I don't remember how it came to be, I just remember being chosen to be trained. I was taken from my family when I was still learning to walk, forced to become an assassin. I didn't know any better. I didn't innately grow up believing that murder was right or wrong. I was taught that murder had a positive effect on society. It was a way of controlling population, punishment, and political gain. Therefore, I wasn't doing anything wrong. If anything, I was benefiting society.

I was trained for ten years, until the final test. Generally, the assassin has to be put through a final test, to hone their abilities and make sure they are prepared. In order to be ruthless, and to be objective, we needed to learn to put everything else aside. We had to leave emotion and relationships and love behind. The only thing that mattered was the target, and how fast we could finish the job. The final test is always a test of emotional endurance, to make sure you are fit to assassinate anyone you could possibly have to. Your only loyalty has to be to your master. Nothing else matters other than finishing the job. For the final test, it is customary to have the trainee kill their own family.

After the training was complete, I was given the opportunity to work for the royal family. They were impressed by my skill under pressure. I was told they requested me, out of all the others. It was an honor. In return, I was given a home, a family, and a _purpose_.

At first, it was like any other job. I worked in the palace confines, with strict contact only from the family and their advisors. Usually it was the king who gave me the targets. But after time, he felt comfortable enough to have me around all the time. I was attached at his hip, going everywhere with him. Where ever he was needed, I was always the shadow behind.

Since being raised, I had not had much contact with the outside world. In order to maintain objectivity, I was not allowed to go out and have friendships. I was not allowed to wander the streets or be independent. I was raised within the confines of my role. And then suddenly, I was given a seat at the table. I had the kings ear at all sorts of events. I learned about our world, and how it all worked, through him. I suppose it did make me a better killer, it made me stay objective. It wasn't until the end that I realized it wasn't a world I wanted to live in.

The king didn't like getting his hands dirty, and so I was often the one carrying out his plans. Most of the time, it was simple. I was young, and inexperienced. Or maybe his political enemies were not so big yet. After years, we were a family. I wanted to believe that they all cared for me. Make no mistake, there was always an order to things. I was his right hand. He made sure I was cared for and fed. It was the closest thing I'd had to a family relationship.

Early on, his two children were taken from him. I think he was a benevolent ruler until then. He had an air of righteousness about himself. He took the burden of being the ruler with great pride, and he cared for the country like he cared for me. Eventually, the children were found. After their cremation, he changed. His demeanor was darker, full of hate. He confided in me that he would give anything to have the people who did this dead. So, I obliged. And when he was grateful to me, it felt as though I was his new daughter. I felt I had made him proud. I had been _worthy_. He trained me and laughed with me, and in a way, he was the father I never had.

He became harsher, and all of his council started to dwindle away. People deflected, ran away, and died at my hands. I did whatever it would take to make him happy, proud of me. Part of me ached for him, and I internalized his sorrow. I thought if I could only do better, be more heartless, bring back more bodies, maybe I could bring back what he had lost.

It was never instilled in me to question. I had been raised with one purpose. I wasn't taught to think for myself, to have ideas, and to define right and wrong. I was good at one thing, so that is what I did. After the years went on, soon I was the only one left. He would not sleep at night anymore, so we would walk the castle grounds. Most of the time, he spoke to me as if I could offer solace though I rarely spoke. Maybe after time, he interpreted that to mean I tacitly agreed to his plans. I didn't have the capabilities to agree or disagree. It was not my right to tell him how to run things. I think it helped him. It certainly helped me understand him more.

Soon after that, fires were lit around the country. People would be yelling in the streets and it wasn't safe to leave the castle at all. For a while, it was just the two of us cooped inside. I had to get cleverer with my targets. And after the years they became more intense people. Heads of state, generals, rival kings, I would target anyone he asked me to. I think a part of me just wanted to make him happy the only way I knew how.

After enough time, the castle walls fell, and the streets ran red. People were killed, many who I had seen around the castle, many who were also confidants of his. I didn't comprehend that my life might be in jeopardy, and I wasn't taught to value life anyway. It was known that people in my line of work don't usually have peaceful endings. I understood that long before this.

I watched him get beheaded in the streets, and the months I spent without him were the hardest. I had no purpose in life anymore, I had no family. I was cooped in a prison awaiting the riots to die down. Once a new tribunal was elected, the first thing to decide was what to do with me. I think they took pity on me, since I had been only a child in the beginning. They sentenced me to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, where I was told I would be tortured. They wanted me to suffer, but they didn't want to have the blood on their hands. I thought at the time, that being beheaded in the streets seemed like the kinder thing to do.

Either way, they sent me off and I ended up landing here. That's why, the first thing I did when I saw you hurt, was kill to help you."


	27. Chapter 26

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Woah," Roy said, still staring at E. He looked transfixed, she didn't think he had blinked once during the story. Jason had his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together over his mouth, almost like he was praying, except he was staring at her. She had no idea what he would say, after all this. Would he hate her? Turn her in? She couldn't remember the last time she felt so vulnerable. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So.." She paused, wringing her hands together, "What do you guys think?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Jason broke the tension by running a hand through his hair and standing back up. He walked over to the kitchen. E made a mental note of the lack of knick-knacks everywhere, less he could throw at her. Roy turned his head to Jason, eyes like dinner plates. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You are an assassin," Jason paused, turning slowly back to them. He had two fingers over his mouth as if he was thinking. "And you never told us?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I wanted to-" E said before Roy cut her off. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So, this whole thing," He motioned to the air around them, "Has just been like practice? For being a good person? You join the team and gain everyone's trust, and think you can erase everything you've done?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"She cringed at his sharp words, but she couldn't help but admit he was right. She wanted to do better, not just for doing better's sake. She didn't come here specifically to right her wrongs, she was where she was because of Jason. He put her on the team and she went along with it. She had wanted to belong to someone. Hopefully, him. Jason looked to her, expectantly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I don't know, possibly." She paused, almost pleading with Jason in her eyes, "I wasn't raised like you. When I got here emyou/emwere the first person I became attached to. I was going to do whatever you wanted. Where I'm from….emloyalty/emis what I value. And Jason took me in, he was everything, emthe only thing/em, I knew. So, I did whatever he wanted." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Jason blinked a few times before Roy looked back to here, eyes still big as saucers./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So you did all this, not to be a better person, but literally because you had a huge crush on Robin," He looked to Jason before cracking up. He got up and put a hand on Jason's shoulder. E and Jason still had locked eyes. "I bet you could get her to call you emMaster/em." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Without missing a beat, Jason turned around and knocked Roy back into the refrigerator. It wobbled a few times and Roy groaned. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Dude! What was that for? I was kidding," Roy rolled his eyes and straightened back up. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I swear to God, I will kill you right now don't even try me," Jason tried to look serious and threatening, but cracked a small smile while he shook his head. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"E folded her arms across her chest, "If you want me out, I'll go."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Hey, wait up," Jason said, putting his fingers to the bridge of his nose, as if he was having a headache. "That's not happening." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"E raised an eyebrow before Roy started talking again, "What is your plan then? Just you two going after some inter-dimensional bounty hunters?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"He shook his head, scoffing at them, "You wouldn't last two seconds." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You're right. We need help," Jason shot a half smile at Roy. Roy rolled his eyes and opened the refrigerator. He grabbed a beer off the shelf before popping the cap off and taking a swig. His metal hand made a weirdemting/emnoise as he touched the glass bottle. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""No way," He turned back around and leaned against the refrigerator behind him. Jason turned to him, back to E now. She didn't understand what Jason was implying. "This is emway/emabove my pay grade." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Come on, you can't tell me you have anything better to do," Jason shrugged and Roy pressed his lips together. He brought the bottle to his lips again, shaking his head. "You really gonna say no to the girl who could kill Luthor with a single look? Come on, you'd be lucky to have us in your corner." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Roy raised an eyebrow and gave E the once over. She was somewhat catching up to the conversation now, Jason wanted Roy to emhelp them/em? She was still chewing over the fact that Jason wanted to help her to begin with. Why wouldn't he just throw her out on the street? /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Hold on," She paused, putting a hand up. Jason turned back to her, "You want to help me? Why would you want that?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Roy took another swig of the beer and eyed Jason curiously, waiting for the answer. He wanted to hear it too. Jason didn't know quite why he had decided so quickly to help her. It seemed like…so much had happened. So much had gone wrong, and now when he had finally gotten E back, he couldn't think of losing her now. He couldn't abandon the one person who he had emcreated/em. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I feel responsible for you," He paused, thinking of his next words carefully. "You were here in the beginning. You stayed when no one else did. I can't just let you go like this." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"E could feel a blush creeping into your cheeks, but good thing Roy interrupted. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So, you want us to hunt down some aliens, because you and your girlfriend just got back together? Sexual tension doesn't count as a motive for murder." He took another swig of the beer before shaking his head, "None of this convinces me to help you." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"E paused, walking silently to the kitchen counter. She leaned up against it as Jason turned to face the other direction, trying to hide his blush. Roy was a real cock-block sometimes. Maybe he was just annoyed with Roy catching on, when he himself hadn't even figured out how he felt. Everything was so complicated and messy. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You know, he is right," E motioned to Jason, "If you've listened to anything I've said, you know I am emprofessional assassin/em. And I'm incredibly loyal. You can't think of any reason you might need my….particular skills?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Roy smirked and took another swig of beer. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p  
div id="st-safari-extension-is-installed" /div 


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N: There is no characterization of Jason and Roy after season 2, so I'm bringing a lot of inspiration from the Red Hood and Arsenal from the comics. Just and FYI**

* * *

"We need a game plan," Roy muttered from across the table, next to Jason. E crossed her legs and slouched down further into the booth. She was sitting on her own little island, across the table from the boys.

"We need coffee much more than we need a plan right now Roy," Jason muttered next to him. He had his hands up, rubbing his eyes. They had all be up for a while, wrapped up in drama before Jason suggested they sit down and get some actual food. And for already having three beers this morning, Roy was surprisingly awake. E and Jason felt drained just having to deal with all this new drama.

Almost on cue, the waitress came by and poured each of them a full cup before asking if they wanted any food. Jason ordered some toast to share with the table and then she wandered off. Roy started pouring two sugar packets into his mug while E took a sip of hers, electing to keep it black. She liked the bitterness sometimes, it made the world sharper.

"So we have your intel, and connection to the League," Jason paused, considering how important Roy's role was to them. "E knows all about them. Customs, culture, language, anything we need."

Roy arched an eyebrow, "And what do you bring here?"

Jason smiled and poured two tablespoons on cream into his mug, "My dashing good looks."

E giggled and shook her head before taking another sip of her coffee, hiding a slight blush, "We need more bodies. You're willing to fight, so you are useful."

"Gee, thanks," Jason smirked and stirred the cream into his coffee with a spoon.

E waited until the waitress dropped the basket of toast on the table uncerimoniously before asking the question she had been waiting for an answer to, "So how do we know the king is actually alive? How is that even possible? I watched him die with my own eyes."

Roy shook his head, "Well it wasn't on the transmission so it might not be verified. Or it might be something they don't want other Leaguers to know about. It might be just gossip."

"So, not true," Jason narrowed his eyes before looking over for E's reaction.

"That's good," She said quickly, electing to believe the easiest possible explanation, "Now they said they were here to find me?"

Roy bit his lip, "That's the thing. The official League broadcast said they needed you dead or alive. I'm going to assume they aren't here to be your friend. The unofficial line is, they are looking to do something bad with you. The League doesn't want to condemn you, but they also don't want to protect you, given recent….events."

E frowned, she didn't like thinking about what had happened with Tim and the Joker. It had to be done, someone had to do it. Jason shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up in every which direction, "And they still have you involved in League business?"

Roy nodded and reached over for a piece of toast. Jason looked up to E, seeing if she was thinking the same this he was. Roy ignored them and began spreading some strawberry jam onto the toast. He took a bite before looking up at their matching faces.

"Oh no," He shook his head, swallowing the bite quickly, "This is a _bad_ idea guys."

"I mean," Jason looked to E with a concerned expression, "It's not the _safest_ plan."

"But the best way to get the information we need," She nodded to him. It was dangerous, but she couldn't see another way inside.

Roy pursed his lips, "I don't like it. If we get caught, I'll get thrown off the League. And you'd probably die."

"But that's where I come in," Jason smiled looking deep into E's eyes. He would protect her at all costs. "I'm your man on the outside."

"More like we are your men on the inside," Roy muttered as he took another bite of toast.

"What happens after we get the information?" E asked, not quite sure how this was going to work.

"I can pull you out," Jason said confidently.

"So I call the League, tell them I've captured the fugitive. We can ask for a private sit down?" He paused. "Or I can find out where they are being held on Earth, see if we can pay them a little visit."

"At least if we pay them a visit, we can go in swinging and out swinging," E muttered, taking another sip, "I don't like the idea of quite literally being handed over to them. Even if we have an escape planned."

Jason nodded, "Okay then. We need to figure out where they are being held, what they want, and if the king is alive?"

"And anything else that might come up. Too much information about your opponent is never a bad thing," Roy took another bite of toast. It was almost like the olden days. Except the olden days never involved being complete outlaws from the Justice League. "I can't imagine that you have a plan for getting me back on the League after all this?"

"Isn't joining us and having our own League reward enough?" Jason chuckled, "Besides I can't imagine you like being in a room with the stuffiest group of squares in the known galaxy. Not fun at all."

Roy smirked and took another sip of his coffee, "While that is tempting, no."

Jason shook his head and rested his arm across the booth, "I know you don't exactly have a fondness for murder. But, wouldn't it be nice to get out of Green Arrow's shadow? To actually get revenge on Lex? To really let out all that anger you have inside?"

Roy shot him an angry look that said ' _You're treading on dangerous territory, Todd_.' Jason paused, "Hey I'm not saying that you become a crazy killer. Just do something. For once, just do what feels right. Do what you want to do, not because you think it's the 'right thing' or because someone told you to. Use your skill, and do whatever you want with it. Do something that feels good."


	29. Chapter 28

E sat at the kitchen table, looking over her notes. Jason and Roy weren't much for writing plans down, they just spitballed and made it up as they went along, and most of the time forgot the plan halfway through and had to improvise. She knew this was risky, and decided to make sure to plan everything through and write it all down to commit it to memory.

"So, if we go to where they are being held and have a chat, where are you going to be?" Roy asked, sitting next to her. He took another sip of the beer in front of him, he'd already finished off two before the sun had even set. "I mean, you can't exactly come with us."

Jason nodded, leaning his back against the cupboards next to the refrigerator, "I can be outside. You'll have earpieces in. Or, E? Can you hook us up psychically?"

"Yeah, M'gann taught me how." She paused, writing ' _psychic link?_ ' on the notepad in front of her. "But if I get taken out, we need a backup."

Roy nodded, "Earpieces it is then."

"So yeah, those range for a few miles. I can be in a van outside, so just don't go hopping through any dimensions, I'll definitely be out of range then." Jason folded his arms across his chest.

Roy stood up abruptly and stretched his arms out to the side, "This has been fun and all, but I need a break. I'll come over first thing tomorrow and we can hash out the rest."

Jason nodded and E looked down at her notes, full of random words and phrases in her unintelligible scrawl. She didn't exactly want it known that she did not have the level of education the two of them had. She was trained to be an assassin, not to read and write well. As Roy walked out, Jason looked to her.

"Patrol?" He asked, itching to get outside. She nodded and smiled.

By the time the both of them met on top of the roof outside, it was almost an hour later. E didn't need a lot of time to change, but Jason did. She could just change what she looked like now with just a thought, so she mostly went outside for some target practice. She didn't feel as lost as she had when Jason was dead. It was like now, something she had lost had become a part of her again. She still felt like she didn't belong on earth, like she wasn't wanted, but at least Jason was back. At least she felt like she belonged to someone again.

The two of them patrolled for a while silently together for a few hours. They generally weren't big on talking. It was like riding a bike, working together, no words were needed. After a few hours, they decided to go back to the warehouse and get a few hours of sleep before Roy made his way over. By the time they got back to the kitchen it was midnight.

Jason didn't even bother to go to bed. He hadn't gotten decent sleep since he was dead. The darkness made everything worse. At night, in bed, he lost himself for hours into his terrors and nightmares. Most of the time it was just easier to stay awake until his body was so exhausted he had to rest. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of Jack and placed it on the counter across from E. He turned again and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.

E poured them both a shot quickly to warm them up. The hood was sitting on the counter beside her and his jacket was thrown haphazardly over it. She downed her glass quickly before looking back to him. He smirked and swallowed the shot. It was at that moment when they both came to the conclusion to get rip roaring drunk. Jason's mind was racing too much, the alcohol soothed him. And E just didn't want to think at all. She had been working so much because she hadn't wanted to stop and really think about her choices, and she needed rest.

About a half an hour later, they found themselves in a heated discussion about the role of the police in Gotham, since they don't seem as effective as Batman is.

"You only are on their side because Dick is a cop," Jason laughed, "We all know you have a _huge_ crush on Dick."

"Oh my god," She laughed, spilling a drop of Jack onto the counter. "Shut up about it."

"What?" Jason shrugged, "He's not bad looking. It's only natural because I wasn't around. Totally reasonable back up choice."

"The implication being that I wanted you the whole time?" She laughed, "You were like twelve when we met!"

"How dare you," He laughed, "I was a _very_ mature 12-year-old."

"You know," She spilled another drop on the counter as she leaned over the table toward him. "M'gann asked me once if we were dating. She said we were cute together."

"What happened to her?" He asked, bringing his head down to her level, sitting next to her.

"Things got r-really weird," E hiccupped, "She just spun a little out of control."

Jason took another sip of his drink, not commenting on her obviously drunken stammer, "Aren't we all."

"You know," E bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully. "I did have a huge crush on you when we were younger."

"Of course I know that," Jason smiled, looking into her eyes, "Batman gave me a big lecture on it. He thought I was going to ruin your innocence."

"What a load of crap," E turned away and took another sip of what was left in her drink. "Golden boy left very vanilla shoes for you to fill."

"You have _no idea_ ," He complained, resting his head on the counter. "He has not changed at all."

"Your death really affected him," Jason shot her a look and she continued, "Seriously, he just turns in himself sometimes. Won't talk to anyone for days. Your death made him more like Batman, in a way."

Jason chewed on his lip thoughtfully. He poured himself another shot, and for being almost eight shots in, he was holding it together quite nicely. He looked to her again, and with morbid curiosity, he asked, "What was my funeral like?"

E bit her tongue with anger before grabbing the bottle of Jack and angrily pouring herself another shot, "Bruce didn't want me to come."

She paused before pouring the shot in her mouth, "I shouldn't have taken it personally, really. But he just wanted _stable_ people there. You know, people who wouldn't blow your secret identities. Pissed me off to no end that is what he was concerned about."

Jason blinked a few times, not understanding. He was glad he was drunk, because this probably would have made him a lot angrier if he was sobered up. Instead, he drank the alcohol in his glass before saying, "That's really fucked up."

"You're telling me," E turned to him, resting her head in her hands. "I did come to your grave a lot in the beginning though. Especially after Kaldur turned and Wally died."

Jason thought for a moment before touching her hand, holding up her chin. It was a weird gesture, and he was too drunk to care. He didn't quite know how to phrase the words he was thinking, "I got really wrapped up in Bruce. It-"

Jason paused, holding in a burp, "It is easier to be mad, than to make my way through everything."

He gestured his hand around his head, almost like he was waving off imaginary flies. E smiled at the movement before remembering she should be sad. She tried to remember what she was going to say before he mentioned Bruce. Her memory was foggy. She nodded.

"Yeah, I bet," She said, "It's probably easier to focus on who wronged you, than just the suffering you went through. Or the suffering your death caused."

"You trying to make me feel guilty for my own death?" Jason smiled, only half sincere. She smacked him lightly with the back of her hand.

"Shut up, you know what I mean," She rolled her eyes, "It was hard, seriously. I had no friends. Besides you broke our promise."

Jason raised an eyebrow quizzically, "What promise?"

"Don't you remember?" She hiccupped again and gestured to her human body, "When you helped me pick out this face. I made you promise to never leave me here."

She suddenly felt emotional, he _had_ left her here alone. She shook her head and could feel the lump rising in her throat. Jason watched her curiously. He vaguely remembered helping her sort through pictures, to find the perfect person to copy. He didn't remember promising anything. But he watched her, and for a moment stopped focusing on the inside of his own head. His death had actually effected people. People were in pain, because he wasn't with them anymore. He mattered to someone other than the people who had made him.

He raised a hand up to her cheek, cupping it in his palm. His thumb brushed over a tear, wiping it away. It was a surprisingly tender move on his part, and E looked up to him, trying not to hide how she was feeling.

"I loved you Jason," She smiled, feeling her eyes tear up more. It was such an energizing feeling, having him _right there_. He was flesh and blood, and he was _real_. Before she was aware of what was happening, Jason was kissing her. His hand was still cupping her cheek as he stood over her. She pulled him down to her level, as she stood up to the tips of her toes. When did he get so _tall_? She forgot what she had been saying, anything other than Jason. His mouth was like fire, igniting something inside her.

She intertwined her fingers into his hair, and he wasted no time hoisting her up so she was wrapped around his waist. She crossed her legs, holding onto him as he walked her into his bedroom. Her heart started beating even faster as he dropped her onto the mattress on the floor. It was like there was a current between them, coursing through each of them, electrifying every part of her body.

She wanted him like she had never wanted anyone before. She had waited a lifetime, and mourned him. She had grieved. This was her heaven. She was half convinced she was really sitting in a padded cell in Arkham, talking to the walls. As Jason bent down to kiss her, she bit his lower lip, pulling him on top of her. She wanted to belong to someone. She wanted to belong to him. She felt she was _made_ to belong to him.

He pulled away, looking down at her in the moonlight and blinked a few times. He fought back the lucidity, threatening to dismantle the whole illusion. He kissed her again, her body moving for him. He felt something he hadn't in a long time, something other than anger. Something good.


	30. Chapter 29

The next morning, she awoke alone to the sound of Jason's alarm clock. She woke up in a daze, unsure where she was. The night before hit her like a brick as she sat up and put her palm to her forehead. The slight sunrise was coming up between the blinds in his window. She rolled over and hit the alarm clock, forcing it to turn off. She sat up for a moment before looking down. Jason wasn't here. She didn't really have the willpower to figure out if that meant something. She didn't want to think about the night before, but random flashes kept invading her memory as she stood up and yanked on her jeans. She threw her hair up in her usual large bun of braids, and tugged her shirt on before venturing outside.

Everything looked the same, and she didn't know why she expected it wouldn't. The kitchen counter was bare, except for an empty bottle of Jack in the sink. She rolled her eyes, why had she put it in the sink? They must have been pretty drunk. As if, on cue, Jason opened the door with Roy behind him.

"And, no, get this, I didn't even do _anything,_ he picks me up by the neck, _the neck_ -" Jason paused, coming eye to eye with her. "Oh hey! You're up!"

He smiled a stupid grin and placed a greasy bag down on the counter and Roy put down one of those cardboard cup holders with a few drinks in it. Roy looked at the two of them, astute as he was, noticing a change in the air of the room. She mentally berated herself for not remembering he had said he would be here, first thing in the morning. He cocked his head to the side, trying to figure it out.

Jason paused, completely forgetting what he had been saying before, "So, uh, we picked up food. Burgers are good for hangovers, so I've heard."

Roy raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bottle in the sink, "Oh is that what you chose to do the night before a big mission, get stupid drunk?"

E sat down at the counter putting her fingers to her temples, "It's not like we planned it that way."

Roy rolled his eyes and dug around in the bag before tossing a burger to Jason, who was leaning against the fridge with a coffee in his hand. He was staring weirdly at E across the table. Roy slid another coffee across the table to E and she picked it up without looking at took a sip. She needed coffee. Jason put the burger down on the counter.

"Okay, _so_ ," Roy sat down next to her, coffee in hand. "The two of us are leaving tonight. I'll comm the League around noon. I'll tell them I'm not comfortable handing her over to some murderers and see if I can get any new information out of them. Worst come to worst, we go meet them and have to work on our toes. I'd like to not have to be chased down on the streets so soon, so I don't have much leeway in cooperation right now."

E took another sip, nodding. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

"Didn't you know my whole backstory from Talia? Does the League know? Why should they protect me now?" E asked, shooting Jason a glance.

"I knew bits and pieces, so did she from Ra's. The League probably knows now. But if you tell them you don't want to hand her over, they should respect that. I mean, we don't usually just hand people over to killers." Jason rolled his eyes, feeling annoyed.

"Right," Roy turned to him, "But E is the bigger problem."

"What do you mean? I'm fine," She said against the throbbing in her skull.

"That's the problem. You don't exactly look like someone who has been living on the streets. You look like you have been here being protected by Jason. And if they know you and Jason are together-which they most likely do-then I need to have a credible reason how I captured you alone. And a reason that Jason wouldn't be trying to save you."

"Does the League really think we are together?" E asked, not sure of the connotation of the word 'together'.

Jason shook his head and folded his arms across his chest, "You're right. What is the reason they would trust that you are safe from me? God knows I can kick your ass."

Roy closed his eyes a put a single finger up, shushing Jason, "Okay. First off, don't even start with that shit, the League knows I am much more capable than you."

Jason rolled his eyes and E stood up suddenly, chair screeching across the floor behind her. "That's it!"

Jason narrowed his eyes, confused.

"Okay so, none of us look like we have been in any fights lately, which is a big sign of a non-struggle here. Prove who would win in a fight. Roy and I need to look like there was a fight. Maybe we can fake your death or something."

"Okay, good idea, but there are lots of issues with that one. _I_ need to look like _I_ was in a fight," Roy paused, shooting a look to Jason. "So, the story is, I saved you from Jason. And I'm not going to hand you over to a worse fate. It has to look like he abandoned you. Like he doesn't care about you."

Roy paused as E sat back down in the chair. Jason pressed his lips together in a firm hard line. He did not like where this was going. Especially after last night. All he wanted to do was physically carry E away to somewhere he could keep her safe. He knew she could handle herself, but still the whole idea of the two of them being undercover made him queasy.

"You're saying," Jason pressed his pointer finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"She needs to look like she was tortured," Roy said quietly. "And I need proof to show the League."


	31. Chapter 30

"Okay, bend your arm a little more, right out to the front. Yes, perfect, don't move," Roy snapped another photo from above.

"I am literally lying in a puddle of mud and blood can I get up now?" E grumbled, feeling gross. Jason stood angrily over to the side, hands clenched into fists.

"Hey, no. Get back down," Roy said, E laid back down and he started snapping more pictures, "Oh yes perfect, yes, I'm loving it. Show me pouty. Yes, hold it. I love it."

She appreciated him trying to lighten the mood, but this wasn't exactly how she had planned spending her day. Roy had carved on her back and down her shoulders, to look like lashes. She had manipulated the blood in her body to not clot, so that more would pool out, looking like she was really hurt. It was a good thing she knew how to use makeup, to give her a few fake bruises and then no one would have to punch her.

"Have I voiced that I am totally not happy with this plan?" Jason muttered from out of the camera shot.

"Yes, your disapproval has been noted," Roy paused before snapping a few more pictures of her bound hands and feet before standing back up. "Okay, I'm done. Cut her loose."

Jason didn't need to be told twice, he crouched down as E hoisted herself up to a sitting position. He sliced through the ropes on her feet and legs before looking at her. She smiled, trying to show him she was fine. She manipulated her blood back to clot, so already she was feeling better. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, remembering when he had her bound in the warehouse before. When he had hit her. When he had inflicted this pain on her. He stood back up, not wanting to think about it.

"Can we go home now?" E asked, grabbing a hold of Roy's outstretched hand and pulling her up to a standing position.

Jason nodded and picked her up in his arms. She definitely did not give him permission to do that, but she felt woozy from the blood loss and let him. She curled into him arms, feeling safe. They still hadn't talked about the night before, and what it meant. It was probably a good thing. She knew he would protect her from whatever might be coming for her, but she didn't want to put him in harm's way either.

Roy opened the doors to the warehouse and plugged his phone into the computer downstairs. Jason put E down on a cot next to his red motorcycle. She felt his warm arms tug away as she laid down, trying to will her body to rest. Roy watched the two of them before uploading the pictures and deleting ones he didn't like. Jason wandered over, but when he saw the pictures, he made a face and walked back to E on the cot.

"A few of these are really good," Roy said, "I can text this to the League now, and that gives you time for a shower before we head to the Watchtower."

"Do I even have clearance for the Watchtower?" E asked, as Jason sat down at the end of the cot by her feet.

"If you have me, you don't need clearance," Roy shrugged. "Seriously go. Take a shower. Relax for a few hours. Mission doesn't start until tonight. Grab a beer."

He walked up the stairs probably to do exactly that. It felt good, having him here. Roy was a good person. She trusted him to get her out of this alive. Jason put an arm around her waist and helped her up the stairs.

"It's not that bad I promise," E said as she walked on her own to the bathroom.

"I know it's not," He grumbled, grabbing a beer from the fridge. Roy was already at the kitchen counter drinking his.

"I'll just…get in the shower," She paused, as Roy waved her on, not paying attention.

"I'll help," Jason walked with her and Roy rolled his eyes.

"I told you, I don't need your help," E grumbled.

"Hey I get to help a pretty girl get undressed I'm not complaining," And despite saying that, he grabbed a towel and threw it to her while she was undressing, and he turned the shower on for her. By the time he walked back out, the towel was around her and the bathroom was already getting foggy.

She turned and shut the door of her bedroom, Jason looked confused.

"I know you are worried," She said, walking to him, "You shouldn't be. Roy will be with me the entire time. We will all be linked, nothing bad is going to happen."

He hesitated. It wasn't that. He was worried, of course. But seeing her all beat up and bloody, even for show, it made him think of when he had first kidnapped her. He had slapped her and bruised her, and treater her like a monster.

He wrapped his arms around her and she hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. She seemed so small and fragile, he didn't want to let go. He kissed the top of her head without meaning too, and he inhaled a breath of her. The way she smelled. He would miss that. As he pulled her closer in, she winced and took a sharp intake of air.

"Can I see..?" He pulled away, with a worried look on his face. She clenched her jaw, not wanting to put him through more agony. She dropped the towel down and let it reveal her back, while she walked into the bathroom. There were about six slashes on her back and shoulders, already healing. But they were caked with dried blood and mud from outside. Jason turned his head away. He couldn't look at her anymore. "Just get in the shower."

She shot him a look before dropping the towel completely and stepping inside the big shower. She winced when the water hit the cuts and Jason saw, from the other side of the glass. He shut the bathroom door and started undressing. She put her face under the water, washing the blood away from her mouth and the makeup bruises from her eyes. She didn't notice until he stepped inside the shower with her.

"Let me help you," He said from behind her. She turned suddenly, catching her back under the water again and wincing. She turned her back to him and kept the water focused on her un-cut front.

Jason took a washcloth from the rack and got it wet with the warm shower water before carefully pressing it to her back. E let out a small sigh as he wiped the blood away softly. He kept going, steadily cleaning each lash on her back and shoulders. E was thankful for the shower, when she started crying. She didn't know why. It could have been the pain, or the stress of the mission, or her feelings for Jason. But he felt it too, and tenderly kissed the back of her neck. She looked down, and saw the red spiraling down the drain. She turned, unaffected by the water hitting her back now. She reached one hand up to Jason's cheek and pulled him down to kiss her.

"It's all going to be okay," She muttered as she closed her eyes, letting his body guide her.

"I know, I know," He said, pulling her in again. His hair was soaked at this point and the two of them stayed like that for a while, embracing in the shower, like it was the last time they would get a chance to.


	32. Chapter 31

The four of them sat around a large circular table at the Watchtower. E and Roy on one side, Black Canary and Superman on the other side. E fidgeted with the bindings around her wrist under the table. She could easily get out of them, but Roy needed the League to believe he had captured her.

"I need answers. She is in my custody and I _will not_ hand her over to a couple of assassins," Roy said to the other two League members. "Do we even know who these people are?"

Black Canary kept an eye squarely on E, who was looking down at the table trying not to bring attention to herself.

"Let's talk about you first," Canary pointed at E, "Can you tell me what happened when you went back to see Jason."

E hesitated, she wasn't a very good actor, "Bats wanted to send him to Arkham, and I didn't want to. I thought…" She paused, trying to muster a tear, "I thought I could help him. I thought maybe I could bring him back to us."

Roy put a hand on her shoulder as she tried to look like she was fighting back tears, "I found her like that, in the photos."

"And you are sure Jason will not come looking for her now?" Superman asked, commanding all the attention.

E shook her head, crying slightly, "No. He wouldn't. He didn't care if I lived or died. He..he said.."

She hiccupped and Roy intercepted, "She had been there for a while, he probably won't even notice she is gone for a few days."

Black Canary crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, "We have the two people looking for you, being held here."

"Here?" Roy asked, _They are inside the Watchtower!_ He commed to Jason through the mind link.

 _Do not engage, you hear me? Do not engage until we have a plan!_ Jason commed the warning to the both of them.

"What do they want with me?" E feigned a shiver and made herself look smaller in her seat.

"They want to bring you back home, for a proper trial," Superman answered and Canary shot him a look.

"A proper trial?" Roy asked, "For what?"

"We have heard a few different stories of your past E, maybe you'd like to enlighten us," Canary said, raising an eyebrow.

E shook her head, refusing to give them any information.

Superman sighed, "The Green Lanterns let us all know when you joined the team. It had seemed like you were trying to turn over a new leaf, so we let you. But after the recent incident with the _Joker_ …"

Canary cut in, "We don't extradite, but we don't harbor murderers either."

"Do you know who they are?" Roy asked, "What if they are lying?"

"They showed up via boom tube at the Watchtower. They said they were looking for a creature that had been living here with your abilities," Superman continued, "They said that the king was alive, and in hiding. They said they were part of the rebellion, and they wanted your help to find him."

E looked up and blinked, not understanding, "I watched him die."

"Hey, I'm just the messenger, take it up with them," He put his hands up and leaned back in his chair.

"Can we talk to them?" Roy asked, "Can we have a rational discussion with them, and talk it all out?"

Superman and Canary shared a look, unsure of what to do.

"One of them said they had known you, and that you may be unable to rationally discuss terms of surrender around her," Superman added.

E raised one of her eyebrows. Roy cut in, "So, just so I have it all straight, two people, one of them a girl, wants to come take her home. They want her to betray her former father person, they have a fair trial. But one of the people, a girl, said E wouldn't be able to be rational around her?"

Roy looked to E, confused, "Do you have some sort of arch enemy or something?"

E shook her head quickly, "Not that I can think of."

Roy shook his head, "This is confusing. All I know, is I'm not going to hand her over to people who are going to hurt her. I could have just left her with Jason if I was going to do that."

Canary nodded, "It is a difficult situation. But she is a murderer, she chose this life."

E almost yelled at her. _I did not choose this life. I was drafted to this life. I had no choice._

Roy looked at her, _We are all on your side here._

Jason said nothing after hearing their psychic exchange.

"She's bound, it's not like she can attack someone right now, bring them out," Roy said, feeling on edge. E was totally weaponless, and they would be outgunned in a fight. Canary looked to Superman, biting the inside of her lip. Superman lifted a finger for the doors to be opened. Behind him, a set of double doors opened and two people walked toward the table. When E saw who it was she stiffened against the chair.

 _The psychic link is going down switch to manual._ E commed and then immediately shut down the link.

"I am sorry, my English is not much good," The woman said. Her hair fanned out behind her, as if suspended in water. The male to her left looked more like a normal person. He had pale skin and deep black eyes, locked straight on E. The woman was an Ethereal, just like herself. She looked at E with a smirk on her face.

"You," E growled, though clenched jaw. "Of course, they sent you."

"You need to listen to her," The male spoke. He stood close to the Ethereal's side, almost like a bodyguard.

"You were placed with the king, because you were the best student I had," The woman continued and Roy gave E a shocked look. "I did not assume it would end the way it did, and I am sorry for that. But we need you. He trusts you, and we need you to draw him out to us."

"So you've been working with the rebellion this whole time," E said again. The woman shrugged.

"I joined the winning team, your loyalty will always be your downfall," She said cryptically, "If you do, I can almost guarantee you a fair trial."

"What if I don't want to go?" She asked everyone in the room, "What if I say no."

"You can try," The woman answered, "But I will tell you, the rebellion will not fail. We will bring you back and your trial will probably end in a public execution. I would suggest you cooperate."

Roy pushed his chair back with a screech and stood up, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what is going on here. I need time."

He looked to E, they had gotten what they had come for, "We need to discuss this. Right now, she is in my custody, and I will not hand her over until we talk about this."

The woman sauntered over to E, and suddenly E felt very powerless while having her wrists tied. Roy watched her carefully.

"It looks like you have not been treated so well here, are you sure these are the people you want to be loyal to now? People who do this?" She dragged a sharp fingernail down E's neck and tugged the back of her shirt down, revealing the recent lash marks. "Think about the offer, think about who you wish to be. Who you wish to become."

E stood up, still bound and turned face to face with her. E spit at her feet and then she grinned, facing back up again, "You can _rot_ for all I care."


	33. Chapter 33

"So…" Roy paused, clutching the steering wheel tightly as he took a turn slowly to avoid attention. She sat beside him with her arms finally unbound and crossed across her chest angrily. It was fairy obvious she was not his captor, but they had zeta'd back to the city, and were in the van heading to the warehouse. Jason still sat in the darkness in the back of the van, trying to see if anyone had bugged them. The ride back had been fairly quiet, mainly because the link was down and Roy didn't dare speak until they were all safe from the League's prying ears. "Who was that woman?"

E looked out the window, wondering how this had all happened. So much of her life was now public, it seemed like she would never escape who she once was. She sighed and rested her had against the headrest, closing her eyes, "She trained me, she was my mentor. I was her apprentice. She took me to her school and trained me to be the best assassin there ever was. She wanted me to replace her someday. Translated to English, her name literally means 'the Headmistress'. She sent me to work for the state as training, it was supposed to be an honor."

Jason took in a deep breath, suddenly nostalgic for his upbringing with Bruce. At least Bruce didn't force him to murder his parents and call him _master_. And with all the anger he had to Bruce, he couldn't begin to imagine the pain caused by this woman. He wanted to reach over and put a hand on her shoulder, to comfort her in some way, but he stopped himself. She seemed like she was lost in her own world. He hadn't ever seen her look so _dark_ before.

"I would go back with her just for the opportunity to _slit her throat_ ," E seethed through clenched teeth. Despite her recent hobbies of 'not killing' in the past few years, it was so easy for her to slip into the same old violence. She wanted to wring the Headmistress's throat for all the pain she had inflicted over the years. And for turning her back on her own country, for turning her back against loyalty. She had only ever valued loyalty when it would give her power. E clenched her hands on her knees, thinking of how she had given control of her life to that woman for so many years.

"O-kay," Roy said, raising an eyebrow at E, sensing her anger. He pulled the van up to the side of the warehouse and E jumped out of the car before it even stopped. She was gone inside by the time Jason hopped out the back and met up with Roy. When they opened the doors, E was already hopping out the window into the night. She looked almost like a ghostly shadow fleeing from the light of the warehouse. Roy shrugged and walked up the landing, getting the two of them beers before debrief.

E sat behind the warehouse for a moment to catch her breath before she jumped up to the fire escape and then onto the roof. Once she climbed up, she looked over the streets of Bludhaven and grumbled to herself. She missed Gotham in a way. It was safer in Gotham, where her new life had started. Now she was back where she came from, just a different city setting. At least she hadn't run into Dick yet, while on patrol with Jason. Some small part of her still missed Dick. He was a good person. He would be able to find some moral way out of this mess. E wanted to hope there _was_ a moral way out of this mess, but it seemed since the Joker, the only choices were ones hurting everyone she cared about. Maybe she was just meant to be a killer, to have no morality like she was trained.

She took off on a light jog, jumping and climbing higher and higher up the building's rooftops. It wasn't long that she noticed a shadow following behind her. Usually she was good at being unseen, and avoiding the gaze of human's. She figured it was either Jason or Roy, trying to check up on her. She ignored it and kept on moving, trying to exert so much energy that she wouldn't have to think about the Headmistress. The more she actively tried to not think about it, she kept thinking about it more. She started to get angrier and angrier.

E made her way steadily downtown and the shadow was resilient behind her for miles until she got so fed up that she had to stop. Finally, she reached the top of a fairly tall apartment building and waited for the shadow to catch up behind her.

"If you're here to talk, I'm not in the mood," She sighed as she looked out over the darkness. Bludhaven was too lit up, even during the dark. It was almost Metropolis, in that way. It was very Dick Grayson, crossing between light and dark.

E stood up straighter as she heard boots crunch over the rooftop gravel behind her. She was in no mood to deal with a babysitter right now, she wanted to get some blood on her hands. She didn't need to trade foul words with the only two people in her corner now.

"That's okay," A familiar voice behind her chirped; a voice she hadn't heard in a while. "How about a good old fashioned knife fight?"

She whipped around, hair spinning wilding around her as she came face to face with Tim. At least, his new face. He had a nice little scar right next to his eyebrow, still fresh. It was her name, E. She fixed her gaze on the scar as she tried to keep her mind sharp. Robin would never win in a knife fight against her, he should have known that. He picked the wrong night to do this dance.

"Ahhh….." Was all she managed to say as she bent her knees, ready for the first blow, "Shit."


End file.
